Hyderabad : Hyderabad city is known for producing great sportspersons in fields like Cricket, Badminton, etc. but away from the limelight at a corner of the Hussain Sagar Lake, a new breed of sports stars is emerging. Coming from 
modest, underprivileged families, young children training to be sailors are silently making their mark in the sailing arena. Fifteen years old Hyderabadi Sailor S. Nikhil Kumar who is just passed out of a Government School at Monda Market has been selected for a Sailing Coaching Camp at Hong Kong. Son of a single parent S. Kalavathi, a fishmonger at Monda Market (a vegetable market located at Secunderabad), Nikhil has just been admitted to St. Mary’s Junior College based on his sports record. Soon, Nikhil who doesn’t even have a passport yet, will be heading for a Coaching Camp at Hong Kong. He is the first Hyderabad Sailor to achieve such a distinction.
Considered once an affluent sport, Sailing is now not just confined to the affluent only. Many Hyderabadi youngsters mostly from not so well background have now taken to Sport Sailing. And they are performing as well. They are emerging as promising sailors. If given proper coaching and guidance, they will go places and prove that they are on par with the best sailors in the country.
Living up to its credo – Dignity through Sports – young kids here brought from backgrounds where they can hardly afford an education are trained in Sailing. The zeal that they have for learning and sport is par comparison with what the well-provided-for ones do. We are training many such kids here, says Suheim Sheikh, Founder President – The Yacht Club of Hyderabad. Suheim under the aegis of The Yacht Club of Hyderabad trains these children. They have been doing excellent at the competitions as well. It’s an honour to train those who put their heart into it, irrespective of their financial or other capacities, beams Suheim.
The world of sports is replete with famed fables of overcoming obstacles of various forms before walking on the path to glory. City sailors fared well in Junior Nationals, last year. They belong to a very poor background. They earned their dignity through sailing.
Though he doesn’t even know what a passport is, Nikhil Kumar is set to be trained at Hong Kong by Marek Nostitz Jackowski, a national coach with the Hong Kong Sailing Federation. The coach is none other than the one who coached Olympic teams at the Sydney and Athens Games in 2000 and 2004 respectively. He was in town recently for a five day long intensive coaching programme for the Optimist Class at the Yacht Club of Hyderabad. Coming first in a race organized on the occasion earned Nikhil a place for the coaching camp at Hong Kong.
As one ventures along the banks of the Hussain Sagar Lake in Sanjeevaiah Park, Nikhil can be spotted fine-tuning his sailing skills at the Yacht Club of Hyderabad. Nikhil comes on a bicycle daily and dedicates two hours daily and four hours on Saturdays and Sundays for sailing practice.
“I started learning this sport about three years back. Sailing is very similar to life in general. You wouldn’t know what to expect from the waters, much like in life. Apart from sailing, I only study and don’t get much time to do any other activities. My life ambition is to become a sailor, the nation is proud of and get into training and produce more sailors. I don’t know English. I can’t speak fluently. I am trying to learn English now, he says.
“We provide the infrastructure for these kids, and help them learn this sport. Our motto is to achieve dignity through sport. The likes of champion pole-vaulter Sergey Bubka, sprinters P.T. Usha and Carl Lewis came from humble backgrounds, and they went on to conquer the world. We believe these kids could make a mark in the coming years,” said Suheim Sheikh, Founder of The Yacht Club of Hyderabad.
Nikhil, whose mother is a fishmonger, lost his father over two years ago. However, instead of talking about the hardships his family undergoes, Nikhil chooses to speak on sailing. “Sailing is an obsession for me. I never miss a single day’s practice. This sport helps me forget my troubles, and that’s why I love it so much,” Nikhil said. Nikhil is a student of 1st year (MEC) at St. Mary’s Junior College. In his SSC exam, he scored 6.8 Grade. Nikhil is the youngest in his family, his eldest brother Praveen is a sailor, while his second eldest brother Rajkumar is into Rugby coaching and the third brother Vijay is idle for now. Nikhil dreams of being a sailor and aims to coach others in sailing one day. Much akin to the class of the boats he sails on, he remains upbeat about sailing his way through difficulties and emerging a champion one day.