A daily wager, Bharat Chavan aims National Games gold in rugby

Panaji (Goa)[India], October 24 : Bharat Fattun Chavan's day normally starts with selling fish at the Colaba market in Mumbai at 5 am in the morning. He then does odd jobs and also finds time to study before heading to Bombay Gymkhana grounds where he pushes his body to counter tackles and score goals on the rugby ground.

It would be an understatement to say that Chavan's life is a story of grit and hard work with a single-minded focus to achieve his goals. And this month, the Maharashtra rugby player has set his sight on taking his team on the top of the podium in the 37th National Games being played in Goa.

Rugby competition will start on Wednesday with last edition's silver medallists Maharashtra taking on Bihar in their first group match, according to a release.

"The team's preparation is very good. Last year due to some reasons we missed out on winning the gold, but this time the team is ready to capture the gold. The team has reached here after an 18-day training camp in Nagpur. We used to train three times a day in the camp," said Chavan, who has been part of the state team for over five years now.

He also played an important role in helping Bharti Vidhyapeeth win the gold medal in the last Khelo India University Games and was called up for the national camp and is hoping to soon make it to the team.

In between all this, Chavan also has to shoulder the responsibility of earning a living for his family ever since his father suffered a stroke.

"My family lives in the village. My father is a farmer but he is unable to work as he has suffered 50 per cent paralysis. My younger brother is also studying, so I have to take care of that also," said Chavan.

Speaking about how he was introduced to the sport, Chavan said children in the Colaba slums where he lives used to play rugby. "I started playing after watching them and instantly loved the sport."

Talking about his goals, Chavan said, "It is my dream to represent India in rugby. Once I get selected, I will introduce more slum kids like me to the game of rugby."

But more importantly, a national call-up could mean better earning prospects for Chavan. "I can then apply for a good job. As a daily wage worker, some days I have work and some days I have nothing," he said.

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