How a school in Chennai defeats poverty on thekabaddicourt

For every achievement in sports by children at Dr. K.K. Nirmala Girls Higher Secondary School in Ashok Nagar, the teachers deserve an appreciative pat. Here is why. After M. Ragavi, a Class VIII student and a promising kabaddi player, had a ligament tear during a zonal tournament, her parents wanted her to give up sports. They stopped sending her for kabbadi practice. One after the other, Ragavi’s teachers called upon her parents, one of them a daily wage labourer and the other employed as a support staff, trying to bring them around to the view that sports can prove to be an opportunity for success for their daughter.

“After many such visits by teachers, Ragavi’s parents relented, allowing her to play kabaddi, which is a big victory for us,” says Loura Humbliena, the physical education teacher at the school for the last nine years.

The Under-14 kabaddi team is just three years old and has already won laurels for the school. Students love the sport but most of them get little encouragement at home. The financial situation at home also discourages many of them to pursue sports as a hobby.

“Kabaddi is a physically demanding contact sport considered rough, especially for girls. And most parents do not want to take the trouble to drop them at school before regular classes start for Kabbadi practice or during weekends when matches are conducted,” says Loura.

The Under-14 team recently won the Chennai Revenue District Level Tournament held at St. George’s Anglo Indian Higher Secondary School in Shenoy Nagar. M. Abinaya Sri, a Class IX student, has been selected in the district-level SGFI selection in Kabaddi and has also qualified for the state-level SGFI selection.

The government-aided school also has Under-17 and Under-19 kabaddi teams.

“Most of our children are from less privileged backgrounds, many do not have a congenial environment around them, so we have been nudging them to take up some sport for the benefits it offers,” says Loura.

The school also has promising players in sports such as silambam, wushu, chess, carrom, kho-kho, basketball and basketball.

Besides the noon meal programme, the school management offers breakfast and snacks to some students.

Sr. Santhi Amalore, headmistress of Dr. K.K. Nirmala Girls Higher Secondary School says the institution is 52 years old and has been catering to students in and around the neighbourhood including K.K. Nagar and Vadapalani.

“We currently have a strength of 1,024 students and we offer Tamil and English medium of education. Through sports and cultural activities, we want to bring out the talent in them as well as keep them from negative thoughts and actions,” says Sr. Santhi.