Chennai Open 2014: How a charity event can turn into the highlight of the week

Leander Paes with the other dignitaries at the event

Miles away from the hustle and action of the tennis courts at the Chennai Open, you don’t exactly expect the afternoon to produce anything noteworthy or memorable. The event, a meet & greet session which purports to give a few underprivileged kids the chance to meet Leander Paes, does not sound like the most exciting thing that you’d be witnessing all day – there’s Somdev Devvarman in action later in the day, after all! But as is the case with every preconceived notion, it takes just a single moment – a moment that you know is going to stay with you for a long time to come – to prove that notion wrong.

The event was organized by Aircel, the title sponsors of the tournament, as part of the ‘Aircel a+ initiative’. The initiative aims to provide computer literacy and vocational training to underprivileged kids by providing funds and other assistance to certain earmarked institutes. Kannagi Nagar Higher Secondary School in Kannagi Nagar and Vocational Rehabilitation Centre for Handicapped in Guindy are two such earmarked institutes, and a good part of the afternoon is spent watching the students from both these schools waiting patiently at the Guindy centre for the doubles superstar to arrive.

While everyone is waiting, you learn more about the initiative. Vanita, a teacher at the Kannagi Nagar school, is only too happy to give away as many details about her school and students as possible within a 5-minute frame. She says that the Aircel-designed training starts right from the sixth grade, wherein knowledge of basic tools like MS Office is imparted, and goes all the way up to the 12^th grade, where decidedly more complicated stuff like ‘C’ and ‘C++’ is taught. The computer training is a definite boon to the students, Vanita affirms; it has helped many of the school’s alumni get jobs in big-shot companies, and is also one of the reasons for the excellent academic performance of the school (last year one of the girls from the school was ranked in the merit list of the State Board 12^th grade examination).

Vanita with the kids from the Kannagi Nagar school

As you turn to speak to some of the students, you are met with barely concealed excitement and toothy smiles. Gayatri, a 12^th grader, says that she wants to do a graduate course in Computer Science after she leaves school. Mahalakshmi wants to do an MBBS and become a doctor, while Aruna is inclined towards doing a course in nursing. They’ve all got stars in their eyes, and you can’t help but let their enthusiasm wash over you.

When asked which tennis star is coming to the venue to meet them, Gayatri promptly answers, “Mahesh Bhupathi”. A fit of giggles ensues, and the answer is corrected to Leander Paes after a few prods from her peers. But the sporting knowledge of these spirited girls matters little in the large scheme of things. What matters is that they have dreams of higher education and strong careers, and that they are being given the chance to fulfil those dreams.

Dreams of a completely different kind are fulfilled at the Vocational Rehabilitation Centre (VRC) for Handicapped. Established by the Government of India under the Ministry of Labour and Employment, the VRC, like the Kannagi Nagar School, receives regular monetary assistance from Aircel. Ms Sasi Kala, the Deputy Director of the VRC, rattles off the impressive list of courses that the centre conducts for the handicapped. There’s screen printing, photography, computer & typing, domestic appliance service & maintenance, cutting & tailoring, and radio-electronics.

With 90 full-time students on-board, the VRC works non-stop for the benefit of these differently-abled individuals, both in training them and in helping them gain employment. Each student at the centre is given a monthly stipend of Rs. 1,000, in addition to any other assisting equipment like wheelchairs, hearing aids, etc. After the completion of the 1-year course, they are given a Government-authorized certificate that holds considerable value in the job market, and the VRC staff members themselves help set up interviews and meetings with prospective employers.

More than the impressive statistics and the placement guarantees, however, it is the intangible assistance given in the form of encouragement and motivation that really drives home the importance of such ventures. As you look around the centre and see the happy faces that surround you, you start to truly understand the point of it all – a wave of positive energy courses through you as you learn more about the hopes and goals of these disadvantaged individuals. They may not have had the best of fortunes in their early years, but a little push from their teachers and a little nudge in the form of financial assistance from sponsors have helped them realize what it means to dream big and aim for the stars.

Leander Paes helping out one of the students at the centre

The true moment of catharsis for the afternoon, however, doesn’t come until Paes comes bounding in and starts mingling with everyone at the venue. As he goes about taking a tour of the premises and helping the handicapped students put the finishing touches to their projects, he is poked in the ribs by one particularly adorable kid and requested for a dance. Without a moment’s hesitation, Paes breaks into an impromptu jig, and everyone bursts into genuine, heartfelt applause.

That one tiny act of kindness made the kid’s day, and probably the day of most of the people watching too.

There are many sights at a sporting event that stay with you for a long time. For the people present at the VRC centre today, Paes dancing with the kid was undoubtedly that single, most memorable sight of the day, if not of the week. At the end of the afternoon, you feel thankful that you made the trip to the VRC centre.

It’s the Chennai Open, and for the most part it’s all about the tennis, but on rare occasions like these, it’s about more than just the tennis. And I, for one, am not complaining.

This article was originally published here: Aircel Chennai Open official website