Three city girls from Tamil Nadu were overjoyed to secure the gold medal at the sixth edition of the Khelo India Youth Games. Among them, M Tejashri, a Class XII student from Selvapuram and daughter of a tailor, has been motivating young girls to pursue sports with her inspiring story.
Tejashri said, “All matches were held in hometown. My family members and friends watched me play and encouraged me. It was a memorable experience.” Tejashri’s journey to basketball glory would not have been possible were it not for the countless struggles and sacrifices made by Sathiyavani, her single mother, for over a decade.
Speaking to media Sathiyavani said, “When Tejashri was 7-years-old, my husband separated from us. My father was the only support for us, but he also passed away two years ago. I went through several financial struggles to raise her. I had to take care of Tejashri’s every need, including ensuring that she had a good diet and proper coaching, because she was into sports. I do tailoring day and night and sleep only for five hours to meet the expenses.” When Tejashri was in Class VI, she joined athletics coaching at Nehru stadium in the city and trained there for three months. “After that, I wasn’t able to take her for training both in the mornings and evenings, on a daily basis. So I instead put her in the CCMA government girls higher secondary school, so she can train with their basketball team. She studied there till Calss XI and was able to simultaneously concentrate on her game as well,” Sathiyavani added.
Tejashri currently attends PSGR Krishnammal Higher Secondary School for Girls. She expressed gratitude towards the Coimbatore District Basketball Association (CDBA) and her coaches for their support, which enabled her selection to represent Tamil Nadu at the national youth games. Additionally, she received a central government scholarship that assists with her expenses, providing relief to her mother.