On July 24, Maharashtra kabaddi team captain Shankar Gadai, 24, helped his young team reach the Senior National Kabaddi Championship final in Charkhi, Haryana. It was a remarkable achievement for Gadai and his team in their maiden nationals. They beat a strong Haryana outfit, comprising Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) stars, in the semi-final before finishing runners-up to defending champions Railways in the final.

Days later, however, life remains the same for Gadai, who begins work at 5am as a daily wage labourer on a sugarcane farm in Bhenda Budruk village of Ahmednagar district. “I have no other option, but to work on someone’s farmland to make ends meet. Then, I head off to attend a few events in the afternoon, where I will be felicitated with a bouquet and then head to practise at Ranvir Sports Club [RSC],” Gadai told mid-day from Bhenda Budruk recently.

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