Through The Power Of Sports Changing Lives - Isha Outreach

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K. Mohammed Ali
Chennai, TAMIL NADU
Ali started Taekwondo as a child. Son of an automobile
scrap dealer, Ali remembers the day he was almost forced to abandon
K.Mohammed
his passion because of financial reasons. Luckily his coach recognised
his potential and continued to train him free of cost. Today, the wheel has come full
circle. K. Mohammed Ali is a taekwondo coach. He has many students, almost all of
them from families that live below the poverty line. Most are unable to pay, but that
doesn’t stop Ali from taking them under his wing. To his students, Ali is a more than a
mentor and coach. He is a father figure who has helped change their lives through the
power of Taekwondo.
Ali’s students are very happy. Twenty-five of them participated in the Nationals in May
2010, bringing home 17 Golds, two Silvers and three Bronze medals. Achievements
like these are a source of joy for Ali, but he realises it is the improvements in the
characters of his pupils, rather than just the medals, that make his investment in them
worthwhile. Ali now hopes that the girls who have started training under him will also
be able to ascend to new heights. He is also focused on ensuring better nutrition and
physical fitness for the boys and girls, and also building a good indoor training centre.
“I walk in the footsteps of
my coach. I teach those
children who are unable to
pay for free. All of them are
told to finish their education
simultaneously.”
K. Mohammed Ali, Taekwondo Coach