Some stories remind us that it’s not where you begin, but how relentlessly you keep going. Yashasvi Jaiswal’s journey is one of them.

As a young boy, Yashasvi Jaiswal left his home in Suriyawan, Uttar Pradesh at the tender age of 11 with a dream of playing cricket for India. “I used to sleep in a dairy and then stayed at my uncle’s place, but it wasn’t big enough and he asked me to find a different place,” Jaiswal told AFP in an interview in 2020. “I then started to stay in a tent near Azad Maidan and would play cricket there during the day”.

Life in Mumbai was anything but easy. He sold panipuri to pay for his meals in addition to helping with cricket scoring for matches and working as a ball boy in between. His life was fraught with uncertainty, but never without hope.

“We told him to come back, but he said that he would return to the village only when he becomes a player… he was happy to stay in the tent,” Jaiswal’s mother Kanchan told News18 in 2018. “He used to tell me, ‘Mai maidaan mein hi rahunga toh sab kuch aasan hoga, subah uthte hi mere saamne cricket hota hai [If I stay at the ground, everything will be easy… as soon as I wake up, I see cricket in front of me’].”

What separated Yashasvi was not comfort or privilege, but his dedication. While others rested, he practised. While challenges piled up, he kept showing up. Slowly, his hard work began to speak – from record-breaking performances at the Under-19 World Cup to earning his place in the Indian team.

“Money doesn”t matter to me at all. It was just important that I got a chance to play in the IPL. Money is a by-product of your success. If you do well in any field, you will get some reward, but to get good reward, you need to keep working hard and follow the right processes,” Jaiswal told The Times of India (TOI) after the IPL 2020 auction..

Every time Yashasvi walks out wearing the India jersey, he carries with him more than runs and records. He carries proof that background does not define destiny. And that resilience can outpace resources. He may not be playing the ongoing World Cup, but if you’ve survived living in maidan tents and selling panipuri, this is yet another challenge he should be able to overcome.

At Bravo too, we believe every child’s path is unique. With dedication, guidance and belief, extraordinary things can grow from the most ordinary beginnings.

If you would like to help your children overcome their challenges and learn to enjoy football, call us on 9819337766 or 9819227766.

P.S. Sometimes we’re so busy chasing happiness that we miss the joy of the present. The video below, slightly over a minute long, gives us some much needed perspective.