Aarav Mathur, a student of the Pathways World School, Gurugram, grew up hearing cricket stories from his sports-lover father.
His father’s strong interest in cricket stemmed from the fact that he couldn’t pursue his passion as a child because of Polio in his left leg. However, his love for the game got passed on to his son, Aarav, who shared his father’s interest in cricket. But, Generation Alpha isn’t known to do anything in half measures.
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So, Aarav got in touch with the Indian Spinal Injury Center (ISIC), Vasant Kunj, because he wanted to do something for differently-abled people, with respect to sports. He visited the Center in February 2023 to meet the Sports Coordinator there and found him to be wheelchair-bound as well. So, whatever he learned from the man was as good as personal experience, and thus, completely relatable.
The Sports Coordinator helped Aarav in getting connected with the Delhi state team who need support to promote their game at a larger scale. Once Aarav got to know of this conundrum of the Center, he immediately took it upon himself to ensure the resolution of the same. He started by meeting the team and the captain during the first week of March and found out from them that they were also looking for funding to purchase cricket kits and other equipment for themselves.
Aarav, who was already familiar with the passion his father shared for cricket, couldn’t resist taking a decision to help the ISIC cricket team in generating funds for their cause. He launched a fund-raising campaign to collect money so that the team could buy the equipment it required and also hire a sports training facility for regular practice. This campaign of his didn’t just generate funds but also inculcated in him a desire to carry on this work of creating awareness about better sports facilities and opportunities for the differently abled.
As of now, he isn’t exactly satisfied with what he has achieved so far, about which he admits, “I want to continue my focus on Sports 4 All because I believe that the differently abled sportspersons face a number of challenges vis-à-vis their passion for their game. Therefore, I will continue to create more awareness regarding such causes in the future too.”
Aarav is also working on a short film on this subject through which he intends to highlight that such players needed all the financial help to generate infrastructure as well as resources for themselves.
Currently an IBDP student, Aarav wants to go for higher studies in the USA whenever the opportunity arises. But what he would never stop doing is attempting to bring a change in public opinion regarding Sports 4 All. To achieve this purpose, he is ready to go online, work through social media platforms, and even launch his own website.
When asked about his source of motivation, Aarav mentions, “The awareness about this cause serves as a motivation for me. The more I learn about such causes, the more motivated I feel for bringing about a change.”
For his future plans, Aarav intends to create mass awareness for the Sports 4 All cause and make a difference in the lives of differently-abled sportspersons. In doing so, he has become an effective role model for other teenagers too.
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