FROM VILLAGE TO VICTORY | Sajad Mir inspires female athletes to reach new heights

Anantnag, Jan 6: Hailing from a small village in Anantnag town, armed with education and dedication, Sajad Ahmad Mir has become a ray of hope for many female students who want to excel in sports and make it their career choices. His journey from a sports student to a national-level coach is reshaping the lives of many students through games.

Mir, a Physical Education Teacher in the Department of Youth Services & Sports District Anantnag believes that success is not about gaining leadership but it is about empowering people through sports. “It is said that the true measure of success is the number of people touched and transformed by one's success,” he is living his life to this definition of success.

Nagpur International marathon player, National Level player in Netball, Softball and State Level in cricket and former National Level coach of the cricket team of JKUT, Mir has many certificates in his kitty.

Starting his journey as a Physical education Teacher in the year April 2010 from GMS Monghall, Sajad Ahmed was later transferred to Govt. Girls Model Higher Secondary School Ranibagh in the heart of Anantnag town.

Under the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao programme launched by the Government of India in 2015, Mir initiated a curriculum for the students, under which he transformed the lives of thousands of students by encouraging them to join Sports, NCC and other curricular activities. He continues to encourage and inspire young sports enthusiasts in the valley.

Recalling the earlier days of his career as a physical education teacher, he remembers how schools lacked infrastructure despite students being very active and passionate about sports and NCC. “Despite having no formal training the students played very well. Schools did not have any big sports ground and the basketball, volleyball, badminton court’s too were in dilapidated condition,” he recalls.