Bosco_Net
Yeh hai Don!
By Phalgun Tiravasu (via Yahoo! India)
Sunday June 17, 2001
SPORTS and Don Bosco are synonymous. Or so it seems after a brief visit to the school and observing the activities undertaken. What else could one say of a school where sports has become a part of the curriculum?
Situated in Matunga, Don Bosco showcases one of the best campuses in the city. And the lush green football ground is indeed an invitation for any youngster to don his sports shoes and gear up for the action. This apart, their numerous coaches makes them among the best sporting schools in the city.
If one were to witness a Bosco match, the slogan "Bosco, Bosco - Bosco Don Bosco," runs high among supporters and almost always, a victory follows suit. That, is the spirit of the young guns of Bosco.
The sports division has a unique system of instilling and encouraging sporting activities among children. It is part and parcel of their daily activity in school along with their regular academic schedule. The sports division enables children from the second to the ninth standards to take part in any sporting discipline they are interested in. The choice of the discipline varies from basketball, cricket, football, hockey to table tennis.
However, children till the fifth standard are not given a choice, to expose them to different disciplines. Lawn tennis and swimming are also part of the school’s success story although children interested in these opt for private coaching.
The idea of the sports division was conceptualised by former principal Fr Adolph Furtardo 11 years ago, when the management felt the need to encourage sports.
Says sports director and vice-principal of the school Fr Zacharias Rebello, "After school, children just wanted to get back home. The urge to instill sports in these young boys was our aim and the sports division provided us the right solution."
Former principal, Fr Edward D’Souza, who carried on the vision of his predecessors, took the sports division to greater heights. He says, "It is surprising how, in spite of doing the school proud with their achievements, the results of the sportsmen are better than the ones who do not take part in such sporting activities. It goes to prove that we have all round ability among our children."
The basketball division is headed by Abraham Poulose and wife Jacinta. Joining them is former Indian basketball player, G Parameshwaran, who concentrates on developing talent at the grass-root level. The school principal, Fr Crispino D’Souza and Fr Rebello, who take an active interest in the game, are regulars on the court.
Former India hockey player B S Kuttappa and Sukhwinder Singh head the hockey department. Football, which caters to a large populace, has four coaches led by Leslie Machado and Augustine D’Silva. John Barreto and Anthony Fernandes also chip in.
Savio D’Souza and Amitabh Choudhury head the cricket and the table tennis faculties. Put all this together and Bosco’s success story is hardly surprising.
A solid two-hour session of practice begins with the end of the day’s schooling. And being a part of their schedule, children are urged to attend. If sport is not a child’s cup of tea, the cultural club (theatre and music) becomes part of their curriculum.
Sports plays a major role in the school and to know how big it is really is, here is some trivia. With an annual sports budget of approximately Rs 10 lakh per year, the school lives up to its motto of providing the best. Sponsors and other investments help a great deal in the upkeep and maintenance of the equipment and infrastructure. The school also insists on giving talented sportsmen preference in the admission procedure. "Even if a child is poor but has an exceptional talent, we make arrangements for his admission in to the school," says the sports director, Fr Rebello.
The reason behind the level of encouragement pertains to the utilisation of idle time. "The present generation of children is either involved with tutions after school or with TV. In a move to utilise this idle time, we give sports the encouragement it needs. Physical fitness is the greatest utility to children," says Fr Rebello.
The inter-schools basketball under-16 winners, the hockey under-16 runners up and finalists in various football tournaments, Don Bosco has carved a niche to be among the best sporting schools in the city. However, looking back at some of the prominent sportsmen who have emerged from the school in recent times, cricket, it would seem, has taken a back seat.
Cricketers like Ravi Sastri, Jatin Paranjape, have made it in to the big league as compared to other sports. Although names like Nalin Patel (billiards) Meherwan Daruwala (squash) have come into the picture, they have been shrouded by the interest people show in cricket.
"Cricket has gone down mainly to the lack of good coaches. Majority of them have been involved in various academies. Even children concentrate more on academies and it comes as no surprise that the level has fallen," comments Fr Rebello.
Publicity is one thing they haven’t missed out on. Donning the Bosco colours has made not only made the school proud but the children who sport them have a strong sense of pride. And to retain that pride means to be dedicated towards practice.
Says Poulose, "The good thing about the boys is that they are bent on staying in the team. Since this means regular practice, they are punctual and dedicated. That helps them improve and coaches get to be in constant touch and work with them easily."
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