( This novel is a translation of a Hindi novel "Sehra me main aur tu" written by Prabodh Kumar Govil. This is a fictional work based on a real incidence of history)
Oh! In the beginning, it seemed unbelievable. Completely impossible! No, how could such a thing even happen? It's beyond imagination! After all, there are rules and laws, aren't there? How could this happen? And why would it? About thirty kilometers from the city, situated on a winding mountain road in a picturesque valley, stood a beautiful small building with pride. The building was indeed small, but the vast field surrounding it was anything but small. This lush, green scene, enclosed by a sturdy wall, was a priceless gift from the city's renowned royal family to the youth of the country. The royal family had donated this property to a sports academy. After the death of the Queen Mother, when her two sons and one daughter divided the vast estate, this secluded building and its sprawling grounds were donated to the sports academy through the district administration. The Queen Mother had established this academy shortly before her death with the aim of preparing talented but underprivileged rural youth for international sports by building a hostel. The formal establishment of this sports school had taken place. Twenty boys were selected for a five-year program from among the tribal, Bhil, forest-dwelling, nomadic, and wandering communities. It was completely free, and all operational costs were to be covered by a fund secured by the royal family. The hostel provided free accommodation for the twenty youths, along with a head coach and two other trainers. All the youths were between thirteen and nineteen years of age. Under strict discipline, regular training camps had begun for everyone. Not far from here, a few empty rooms and an arcade in the back portion of an old palace were provided for the hostel's staff to live with their families. Among these were a few women as well. No woman or family member was allowed in the main hostel. Most of the players were unmarried. Both the coaches were also unmarried, but one of them had been married in childhood, and his wife lived with her parents in a nearby village, assisting them with farming. As soon as the first light of the sun peeked over the mountains at four in the morning, activity began in the camp. The day's intense training would start with various activities. On one hand, the boys would begin sweating it out, while on the other, nutritious and healthy meals for them would start getting prepared. Various aromas would fill the valley. More drops of sweat would fall from the boys' athletic bodies onto that rocky ground than those from the clouds above. The valley would stay damp. As the day progressed, the boys' noises would inspire hopes for a bright future, and the dreams of the late Queen Mother would begin to take shape. In fact, behind this grand donation by the Queen Mother lay a deeply touching story.
