Turning Passion into Reality "Sonu - A Tea stall worker to Taekwondo Coach"​

Life for migrant labours is never easy. The tough times of corona have further increased their dismay. The pain of staying alone and away from families can never be described in words. Sonu Kumar is one of such migrant labour who worked in a tea stall. Making the ends meet and supporting the family with his meagre income was not easy.

Sonu was not good in studies thus a very strong path where he could tread and touch new milestones was missing. However, there was a sportsperson in him, who never let him give up on hope. With the right guidance at the Prayatna, he got a new hope for life.

How did he join Prayatna?

Not all people get the correct guidance in life. Despite all adversities, if the right person holds your hand and guides you, there is nothing that one cannot achieve. The success story of Sonu is all about his journey from darkness to a bright future. Praneet Sushil, the founder of Prayatna came as a guardian angel in the life of Sonu and many others. Sonu had a few cousins who were already associated with them. They introduced him to them and his life changed there.

Praneet Sushil, the Chief Mentor of Prayatna understands that not all people are the same. Every individual is unique and so are his or her capabilities. He assesses the capabilities, strengths, and weaknesses of each person and this has become the trend of Prayatna. Thus depending on their individual abilities, they train them. It is a fact of life that if individuals are allowed to do what they are passionate about then success is bound to happen.

His journey:

Success does not easy but then with hard work, it gets manifested. The same point holds for Sonu Kumar. Sonu had immense passion for Karate and Taekwondo. He was not interested in his studies. From childhood, he was forced to study but he could not excel there. He often felt sad, as he could not study so he felt that a road was blocked. Without proper education and degree, he was forced to work as migrant labour. He worked in a tea stall where income was very little and he couldn't survive with some mere bucks. However, he never gave up hope. He had a natural inclination towards sports.

He started his journey as child labour and had no dreams or even some basic education. He then came to Prayatna and it was here where he learned how to write his own name. Thus the journey towards making his graphing, his name started from here only.

He also has acting bones:

His journey was incredible. He started doing plays with Praneet Sushil who is also a dramatist and running a theatre group “NatyaShala” where young school students get associated with some creative skills. He won the award of Best Actor for three consecutive years. Thus the kid who was once child labour now had dreams and a mission. He had a purpose in life and this was fulfilling.

Sonu, a not so confident boy who was once in a cocoon-like caterpillar, finally bloomed into a colourful and magnificent butterfly.

His teaching skills:

He loved all his teachers at Prayatna and has special regard to his prime mentor Praneet Sushil. The teachers here were giving and dedicated to their job of teaching. He later, himself started to teach the kids here with diligence. He started to love the profession of teaching and felt blessed while doing it.

His sporting journey:

Prayatna trained him in sports; A skill that he was immensely blessed with. He acquired training for playing cricket. The Gentlemen’s Game was the focal point of his life. He became the best player and won several tournaments. He was also awarded as the Best Cricket Player. Again for three consecutive years, he won the award.

And then he became unstoppable:

Sonu Kumar had the quest, he had the thirst to learn new things and nothing could stop him from learning something new. Even after claiming his position as the Best Actor and Best Cricket Player, he did not stop. He joined another that was coaching for Karate and Taekwondo. He loved both sports. Then he joined an academy to get professional training in sports. He trained hard there and with the support of he claimed his position as a Black Belt Master. At the same Prayatna where he learned to write his name, there he became Sports Teacher. He is teaching the kids there both Karate and Taekwondo. Thus he is an acclaimed Black Belt Teacher.

The journey is beautiful:

Sonu Kumar has never looked back since. He always wanted more and was determined to bring about a positive change. It was his dreams that proved to be the focal point in his life. He started to coach the students at other places. Thus outside the institute also began coaching the students. He is generating income from a skill for which he has passion. Thereby he is a happy soul now. He also works at Grofers. He got selected thereafter clearing a round of an interview, which he could clear only with the help of Prayatna. Thus, this became his side hustle.

Prayatna and Sonu's association:

Up to 2017- 18, Sonu Kumar was closely associated with Prayatna. He was teaching there and continues to do that to date. Prayatna inspired him to do what he loves. Prayatna identified and believed in his potential and urged him to also have faith in himself. Morally, they supported him in his endeavour and helped him become what he is today. Prayatna also supported him financially and sponsored him throughout the journey. During the black belt training when he was required to pay the fees at the academy, Prayatna backed him. He had the potential but the Prayatna helped him to believe in his potential and harness the potential.

Clearly, Sonu has faced several hardships in life and the teachers at Prayatna inspired him to find a way through the hardships. He owes his success to the Prayatna. Sonu earnestly claims that his success and his achievements are because of the guidance and support of the Praneet Sushil and Prayatna, for which he is forever grateful.