Thirty years ago, the Ex Services Sports School (ESSS) was set up as a labour of love by Subedar-major Anantasinha Padwal, who retired from the army after he lost his right arm in the Indo-China war in 1962 but still wanted to do his bit for the country by training underprivileged athletes.

Vikramsinha Padwal (right) trains 15-odd boxing enthusiasts enrolled in the Ex Services Sports School, which was once a large sports facility that trained national-level boxers, but has since fallen on hard times. Pic/Pradeep Dhivar