How Pankaj Mahajan kicked drug addiction to represent Indian football team at an international level
Pankaj, who manages a team of ten coaches involved in uplifting the lives of 12,500 slum kids across India, has also played for the country at the Homeless World Cup in 2014 and 2017.
At 25, Pankaj Mahajan is a successful community football coach at Slum Soccer. But success didn’t come calling his way very easily.
Born to extreme poverty, his bigger problem was drug addiction. Pankaj says he managed to overcome this after he was introduced to football.
Pankaj Mahajan, source Efforts For Good
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In 2010, Pankaj met football coach Homkant Surdase, who offered him a chance to play football, which later turned into his passion and gave him a new lease of life.
A recovering drug addict, Pankaj now manages a team of ten football coaches under an NGO called Slum Soccer, which is responsible for uplifting the lives of 12,500 slum kids in Mumbai.
A rough past
Born to a family of four in Godhani village, Nagpur, Maharashtra, Pankaj Mahajan had a difficult childhood. An alcoholic father and a differently-abled mother, Pankaj got addicted to Kharra (a strong tobacco-based drug) at a very young age.
Talking to Efforts For Good about his family’s condition, Pankaj said,
We ran a small shop selling paan, beedi, and tobacco, which brought little money. My father spent most of it on alcohol, leaving us scrambling for the basic needs. I could not continue my studies after Class 10. My family desperately needed money, and so I sought the help of the young learners in my colony, who found me the job of a painter. I used to earn Rs 30 to 40 per day. But soon, the worsening poverty, violence, and abuse at home drove me to join the gang of addicts and miscreants.
Source Efforts For Good
Also read: How a retired sports teacher changed the lives of 50,000 slum children with football
Football to the rescue
After Pankaj got introduced to football and involved himself in the sport, little did he know that his hard work would pay off in a big way.
When Abhijeet Barse, CEO of Slum Soccer, witnessed his game, he offered to provide Pankaj financial assistance, helping him complete his studies.
During one of the Slum Soccer training sessions, source Sports Keeda
Since then, Pankaj has been participating in district and state level tournaments. In 2014, he was selected to play in the Homeless World Cup held in Chile, and later, in 2017, he again represented India. But this time, he was the coach of the Indian team selected for 2017 edition held in Oslo, Norway.
Speaking to Sportskeeda on how Slum Soccer has helped people like him, Pankaj said,
Slum Soccer has given us an identity. People know us now and we are seen as someone inspiring in our society. The respect that we have received from all corners was a thing that we never expected to achieve in our lives. The organisation has given us a new lease of life and we are going to inspire many to take up the mantle.
Pankaj has now completed the coaching badge and is looking forward to pursuing masters in Sports Management. He is also actively attending leadership summits and various workshops across the country.
The inspiring story of Pankaj, who overcame addiction on his path to success, provides hope and inspiration to those affected by substance abuse.
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