How Sachin Tendulkar is fueling a quiet sports revolution in Bastar

The forests and winding village roads of Chhattisgarh’s Bastar region, long associated with the menace of Naxalism, have witnessed a different kind of rally in the past few years. Communities led by cheerful children now spill over the uneven surfaces carved out of the red earth, where sport constantly creates new possibilities.

On a recent summer afternoon in Dantewada’s Chhindnar village, the grounds came alive again when one of India’s greatest sportsmen, Sachin Tendulkar, visited. Idea? To help level the playing field for “diamonds to be polished”, as Sachin described to the children present. Some waited with hand-made posters, while others stood silently trying to figure out what they might say if they had the chance to meet him. For many of them it was their first glimpse of the ‘god of cricket’

“We only saw him on TV,” said 13-year-old Bhumika, still in half-belief after the experience. “Lord, play with us on our own ground. We felt so lucky.”

Tendulkar and his family were in Dantewada as part of the Sachin Tendulkar Foundation’s partnership with the Mann Deshi Foundation and the district administration to support the “Maidan Cup” initiative, an effort aimed at building and revitalizing village playgrounds in Bastar. The program plans to create nearly 50 community sports grounds and engage more than 5,000 children through structured training in cricket, athletics, kabaddi, kho-kho and volleyball.

“As a region that consistently invests in sports as a tool for youth development and social transformation, we see the Maidan Cup initiative as a valuable contribution and a strong boost to our vision. Sachin Tendulkar’s visit and interaction with our children inspired them to dream bigger and strengthened the belief that talent can emerge from every corner of India,” says Devesh Kumar Dhruv, Collector, Dantewada.

In regions like Bastar, where decades of insurgency have eroded not only infrastructure but also social trust, public spaces have emotional significance. A functioning playground is rarely just a playground – it becomes a meeting place and a marker of normalcy.

Most plots are modest, assembled by local participation, often using bamboo fencing, community work and low-cost infrastructure models. Buses run from village to village. Still, the scale seems quietly ambitious.

More than 20 plots have already been developed or revitalized through community models.

“When children start showing up every night to play, when parents gather around the ground after dark instead of worrying about security, something changes in the rhythm of the village,” says Divya Sinha of the Mann Deshi Foundation.

For 14-year-old Raja Telam, the field carries the weight of his and his grandparents’ dreams. “Usually not much going on here. School home, pitch home, that’s our routine. I’m continuing my studies in the hope of continuing my higher education, but at the same time these pitches have brought me closer to my dream of becoming a cricketer.”

Standing next to him, 13-year-old Sanju Kashyap smiles, “Sometimes when we play till late afternoon, our elder brothers join us and give us tips. We want to reach the district level first and hopefully bring glory to our village.”

In many ways, these playgrounds are becoming symbols of a region that is steadily gaining confidence through its youngest generation.

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Issued by:

Akshay Ramesh

Published on:

Jul 13, 2026 1:46 PM IST