Akash Balmiki
Credit: Linkedin/@Akash Balmiki
Akash Balmiki, a 26-year-old rugby player from Kolkata's Bhawanipore, has joined the Dallas Harlequins, an American club. Here's a look at his journey from the lesser fortunate streets of Kolkata to perhaps a glitzy sports career overseas.
Balmiki is a member of the Indian rugby team but his journey is unsual since most former players who've joined the Harlequins have been living and studying in the US.
"It was always my dream to play in a club in another country. It will be a great exposure for me and I will bring that experience here to share with the youngsters and give them an opportunity to learn more about the game", he told The Indian Express.
Dallas Harlequins is a part of the organised Rugby League. In the US, rugby is big in colleges. The club decided to go with the Kolkata player after watching videos of his games, where he plays as a fly-half or one of the key attacking players who link the forwards and the backs.
Balmiki will be with the club for three months.
The player, who's currently on cloud nine, was born in a worker's community in Bengal and still lives with his parents in the City of Joy. His father worked as a sweeper and his mother is a homemaker. Right from his school days, Balmiki was more interested in sports than studies.
Balmiki's introduction to rugby was in 2007 when a friend brought home a rugby ball and told him about an initiative which was teaching rugby to the underprivileged for free.
He began to skip school to play rugby without his parents knowing about it for two years.
Balmiki is now part of Khelo Rugby, the same initiative that got him hooked to the game, and he teaches other underprivileged children. He also shared with the publication that his family has meat twice a week and mostly spends on his diet which includes bananas and other fruits.
Balmiki played his first tournament for India at the age of 19. He played Pakistan at a junior level. Balmiki and co also played Iran and Afghanistan, winning both games, and then losing to Pakistan by a small margin in 2013.