HYDERABAD: In a tale of defying the odds, three boys from modest background have set sail towards their shared dream. Mohd Rizwan, Dhoki Sathwik, and Naveen, all trained at the Yacht Club of Hyderabad, are getting ready to move to Goa to train under the Navy Youth Sports Company (NYSC) at INS Mandovi.Sails towards more medals
Mohd Rizwan, now 15, lost his father when he was seven, and lives with his mother, Nishat Parveen, who also works at the club. According to club offi cials, Rizwan is among the fi nest sailors they’ve trained. He represented India in four countries, regularly wins medals, and is currently ranked as the top one in the Under-15 category by the Yachting Association of India. “His passion and grit toward sailing keep me happy,” said his mother. “Not everyone gets a son who’s so focused at this age.”Pastime to dream come true
Sathwik’s journey began during COVID-19 lockdown. His mother, Swapna Dhoki, who worked as housekeeping staff at the club, enrolled him in sailing as a way to keep him engaged while schools were shut. He was 11 then. “I only wanted him to have something to do during the lockdown. I never imagined this would turn into something so big,” Swapna said. Now selected for NYSC, Sathwik said, “To move out of the city with my friends and start a new life is a dream of mine.”
Creating academic and sporting pathways for children from underprivileged backgrounds is our core mission at the Yacht Club Foundation. We aim to identify talent among the poorest and help them break out of the poverty cycle through our guiding principle, Dignity Through Sport–Suheim Sheikh- Coach & President of yacht club of HyderabadClub expanding its wings
- Yacht Club of Hyderabad will soon be renamed
- YCH Sports Foundation YCH has admitted 26 of its proteges into the Army and Navy Schools. Of them, 5 are now serving as officers (2 in the Army, 3 in the Navy)
A voyage of grit
Naveen , now 13, was six when he ran away from his uncle’s home in Laxmappa village, Prakasam district, after being told his parents died. He boarded a random bus, landed in Secunderabad, and was handed over by railway police to Telangana Child Welfare Committee. In 2019, he was placed in Thara Home, a shelter for lost and abandoned children. In 2023, as part of talent identification drive, Yacht Club visited Thara Home and selected seven kids, including two orphans, to train in sailing. After a year of competitions across Mumbai, Shillong, and Hyderabad, Naveen was chosen for NYSC. “Sailing has been my dream, and the passion for it is just growing in me. I’ll do my best, no matter what,” he said.
