Igniting passion for sports in rural India

In remote Marathwada, a forest officer is on a mission to propagate sports literacy, discussing their nuances in an effort to spark enthuiasm among people

- Sudhir Suryawanshi

In the quiet village of Dharashiv, nestled in drought-prone Marathwada, a quiet revolution is brewing. It's not a political uprising nor a social movement, but something subtler-yet equally powerful. At the helm of this change is Aniruddha Dhange, a forest officer from Raigad, who has taken upon himself the task of reviving sports literacy.

Aniruddha's roots trace back to a family deeply intertwined with India's service ethos. His father was an agriculture officer, while his grandfather, a former soldier in the Indian army, excelled in chess and cricket. From a young age, Aniruddha was captivated by stories of his grandfather's prowess on the chessboard and the cricket pitch, igniting a passion for sports that would come to define his life's mission.