NEW DELHI New Delhi: In a small village in Haryana, a little boy named 'Nanha' – which means small – spent his days watching older kids practising Kabaddi. Little did anyone know that this curious kid would one day become one of the rising stars of the sport. He will now enter his third season with the Tamil Thalaivas, having made his debut with the team in Season 9. The team will begin their campaign against Telugu Titans in the first match on October 19.
“Even now, in the village, everyone who plays with me calls me by my nickname 'Nanha',” Narendra recalls. “I wasn't very tall in my childhood, so the name stuck with me. Now I am decently tall, but the name is still the same,” he said in a PKL 'Rise of a Star' interview on YouTube.
Narender's journey in kabaddi began like a scene from a heartwarming sports film. “As a kid, I was drawn to the kabaddi grounds where the older boys played,” he recalls. “What began as banter with the senior players soon turned into a passion. At first, I was just a spectator with not many friends, but before I knew it, kabaddi gave me a family.”
His dedication caught the attention of local kabaddi coach Sandeep Kandola. “A young kid used to come to watch the senior players practice with a lot of dedication,” Kandola said. “Seeing him showing so much interest in the game, I motivated him to play every day.
Under Kandola's guidance, Narendra's skills blossomed. “My family and my coach have played a very important role in my development as a kabaddi player,” Narendra admitted. “My coach, who held a government job, was also a kabaddi player. He has kept up the tradition of playing the sport in our village in Haryana. In fact, he still trains young children in our village!”
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