Jagruti loved to play sport but she was not allowed to play in the public ground. ‘At that time, we were living in a joint family. My uncle didn’t allow me to go out to play in a public ground and wear shorts. Because of my uncle’s pressure, my father also didn’t allow me to play.’
Jagrutiloved playing netball in the YPI in school but didn’t take the life skill sessions serious. Once she became a peer leader, she became responsible. She felt that she should learn everything taught by the coaches and be able to share this with others. She took initiative to manage the class. After completing the 10-month programme, Jagruti joined the netball club and soon she became a role model for other club players. She also started helping the coaches by doing the warming up and leading netball drills. Her support for the coaches led eventually to Jagruti becoming a Community Sports Coach (CSC.) Since a year, Jagruti is doing this internship at Naz. She conducts netball and life skills sessions with around 140 girls in Anjuman (Kurla) and Nutan School (Kalyan) confidently. ‘I take initiative in taking sessions. The coaches give me positive feedback and motivate me to learn more. The participants see me as their role model. All these things help me a lot to improve more.’
Jagruti’s family is now proud to have a sports woman in the family. Her father supports her to play as Jagruti showed him that she has become very mature. They appreciate that sport has enabled Jagruti to support herself. ‘Today I am a leader and an independent girl. I can take my own decisions and I am saving my stipend to support my further studies in accounting’. Jagruti’s independence enables her father to support her brother to pursue his dream, a career in photography.