Khel Se Shuruat..
Contributed by: Chandni Mathur
Dated: 20th May, 2013
When I joined KHEL as a full time team member ,I still remember my first day. The first day wasn’t the only “First”, didn’t know that It’ll be a long series of my “Firsts”.
To begin with, KHEL.. gave me the opportunity to try my hand at everything which i had never ever done before and was all just a dream for me(probably in my dream also I couldn’t have tried my hand) ..for starters, like writing my first blog..(yes! this is my first blog ever), My first stint with sports (volleyball and football and throw-ball ..I had never played these games..NEVER.. When I came across KHEL, I was really interested to know the working and idea and the whole concept it holds. So I, happily applied in KHEL and got a job after the interview I had with Akshai sir and an orientation kind of meeting with the team members during the session. The next day, I was asked to come to attend the session and conduct the activity(Shrinking Blanket) with Children from Lucknow Children’s Home and Deepshikha boys.
When I reached there, I was formally introduced to all the children and it was heart warming to see how warm and welcoming and accepting they were..not for a single moment I felt that I am the new person the “outsider”. My bubble of this wonderful feeling burst when I was asked to play Volleyball…I had never touched Volleyball, forget about playing it..Initially I thought oh god!! what will kids think about me if they see that I cant play..(this was another first) Anyhow, I gathered my guts and stood in the circle along with the children… then I realized the best way is to become their student and ask them to teach me to play.. They taught me how to hit the ball…and i did hit the ball but dont ask me where it went 😛 but this is how I bonded with them.. 🙂
Teaching Life Skills through sports has a new flavor to it. While conducting sessions and life skill activities I myself have learnt so much. As a kid also, When I used to play games, I didn’t know that they had such deep meaning..that what we were playing then actually had some sense and weren’t senseless games as flagged by the elders. Not only for games, Working in KHEL, gave me a new perspective about outdoor activity and sports. Since childhood, we all have been conditioned to concentrate only on studies and classroom teaching and not sports. Sports is for someone who is a born protégé and not for someone who doesn’t even know how to catch a ball was my belief..but I was wrong. Also, it is a wonderful experience to realize that such simple games have so much meaning and so much knowledge to offer. It was a discovery for me. My perspective has changed completely..each game each new activity makes you learn new things..simple thing like empathy, self-awareness, effective communication…we use these words so often without realizing the actual meaning behind it and how we can use it to teach children through everyday sports.
I love playing and interacting with children, I just love being around them.. they bring out the best in me..they make me forget everything that bothers me and they also help in bringing the child inside me, alive…I become a child while playing with children. The best thing I like about them is, that they challenge your thoughts and keep you on your toes and push you to think and question the ideas you come up with…Its challenging to work with them but at the end of the day it is equally satisfying when you see those nice and happy smiling faces when they are playing. KHEL has given me so much, has taught me so much and still is giving me so much and teaching me so much each and every single day. It is an altogether a new experience… I am a happy and a proud Team member of KHEL.