From ‘Nanha’ to Kabaddi star: How Pro Kabaddi League transformed Narender’s life

New Delhi: In a small village in Haryana, a young boy nicknamed ‘Nanha’ – that means small – would spend his days watching older kids practice kabaddi. Little did anyone know that this curious child would in due course change into one amongst the sport’s rising stars. He'll now enter his 1/3 season of Pro Kabaddi League with Tamil Thalaivas, having made his debut with the side in season 9. Tamil Thalaivas will kickstart their campaign against the Telugu Titans on the primary match of October 19.

“Even now, within the village, everyone who used to play with me calls me by my nickname ‘Nanha’,” remembers Narender. “I wasn’t very tall as a baby, which is why the name stuck. Now I've a tight height, but the name still is still,” he said in PKL’s ‘Upward push of a Famous person’ interview on YouTube.

Narender’s journey into kabaddi began like a scene from a heartwarming sports movie. “As a baby, I was drawn to the kabaddi grounds where the older boys played,” he recounts. “What started as fun with the senior players soon change right into a keenness. Before the total lot, I was just a spectator who didn’t have many friends, but prior to I knew it, kabaddi gave me a family.”

His dedication caught the attention of Sandeep Kandola, a native kabaddi coach. “A small kid used to come to have a glance at the senior players practice with a superior deal of dedication,” shares Kandola. “Seeing him showing such interest within the sport, I pushed him to play on on on a customary basis basis basis.

Below Kandola’s guidance, Narender’s skills flourished. “My family and my coach have been vitally important in my development as a kabaddi player,” Narender acknowledges. “My coach, who had a government job, became also a kabaddi player. He has kept up the tradition of playing the sport in our village in Haryana. In actual fact, he still trains the younger kids in our village!”

As Narender’s talent grew, so did his dreams. On the opposite hand, the path to recognition wasn’t easy. “Earlier, wherever I used to go, no person recognised a kabaddi player,” he admits. But the total lot changed with his introduction to the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL).

“Now, resulting from the Pro Kabaddi League, everyone recognises me,” said Narender. “The league has helped give a boost to the face value of kabaddi players. It has also benefitted me a lot, be it concerning the cash or the recognition. And no longer best mine, the league has changed the lifetime of all kabaddi players.”

Narender’s big break came in PKL Season 9 when he joined Tamil Thalaivas. CEO Shushen Vashishth recalls a pivotal moment: “I point of interest on we were in Chennai; we had just lost a match. Narender became very disappointed with his performance because he didn’t know what took place. He said, ‘I couldn’t move my legs.’ ”

This setback change right into a turning point. Vashishth explains, “There became slightly little bit of his body movement which our analyst had identified. He carried this from season 9 to season 10, and he had to work on it. Since rectifying it, he practiced challenging, and since then on, it became like Super 10, Super 10, Super 10 for the rest of the season!.”

Narender’s journey hasn’t been without challenges. “A lot like a kabaddi match, there are americaand downs,” he reflects. But his mantra is still uncomplicated: “Do your work; don’t be troubled concerning the .” Narender stands tall as a symbol of kabaddi’s growing popularity and the opportunities it truly is miles ready to give.

His story is rarely very to any extent further in the case of personal success but also concerning the sport’s evolution. As he shared the story of his upward push to success, Narender concluded by saying, “It became an exceedingly proud moment to symbolize the us,” he says, his voice packed with emotion. “The more well we do, the more practical it truly is miles for us.”