PLAY IT FORWARD INITIATIVE

• Back in eighth grade, one of my classmates with special needs suddenly stopped playing physical sports because he didn’t think he “fit in.” Watching him sit alone on the sidelines bothered me in a way I couldn’t ignore. I went over, talked to him, and eventually convinced him to join the games again. The smile on his face after that moment stuck with me.
• In 2022, I started learning about adaptive sports and designed a low-cost program to make playground activities more inclusive for children.
• I partnered with several orphanages and government-funded sports institutes to implement my curriculum, designed to improve motor skills and coordination. It included throw-and-catch drills, slow relay runs, balance walks, obstacle courses and simple stretching routines, breaking each activity into smaller steps.
• I paired students between the ages of ten to fifteen together for support, shifted games to cooperative formats, celebrated tiny wins, and helped them try these movements without feeling judged. Gradually, I saw them rebuilding their confidence through encouragement and consistency.
• Inspired by my initial work, I continued to work with six-seven sports organizations in Maharashtra supporting cricket, chess, swimming, and athletics to place children in activities that fit their strengths over the next two years. I remember helping a boy with limited mobility find his place in chess because of his sharp strategy skills, and encouraging a partially blind student into low-vision athletics.
• Some of the kids who started participating and excelling in small competitions began recommending me to other families as someone they trusted for support.
• Recently, the Paralympic Association of Madhya Pradesh invited me to their Parasports Championship to assess, train, and motivate their student groups.
• In 2025, I was honored with the National Sports Excellence “Community Trailblazer” Award by the Stairs Foundation, a well-known Indian sports organization that supports underserved sports enthusiasts. Seeing my story in print felt surreal, but also grounding. Being the youngest awardee recognized for community involvement surprised me, reaffirming my commitment to action-oriented change.