Amitabh Bachchan starrer Jhundh, has already released in theatres today. Bachchan’s character has drawn inspiration from Vijay Barse, the man who started Slum Soccer in India. It was Vijay’s life’s story that has been narrated on the screen by none other than Bachchan himself.
Directed by Nagraj Manjule, Jhund revolves around the life of a football coach from Nagpur who wants to bring in a change in the lives of those with lesser means through the medium of his sport.
Vijay appeared on an episode of Satyameva Jayate, hosted by Aamir Khan, and shared that while working as a sports teacher at Nagpur’s Hislop College in the early 2000s, he once noticed few kids kicking around a broken bucket in the rain. He offered them a football, which they gratefully accepted. Vijay mentioned in his TEDx talk that shortly after that, he noticed another group of kids kicking a tennis ball around.
Soon after, he gathered these kids on a playground and realised that as long as these kids were on the field, they were safe from the ills of the world. This is how, he thought, he could actively contribute towards building the nation’s future.
“I realised that these kids were away from bad habits as long as they were playing on the field. What else can a teacher give?” he said on Satyameva Jayate.
Thus began the journey of Zopadpatti Football, later known as Slum Soccer, in 2002. In response to a colleague’s question about why he named the league Zopadpatti Football, Vijay said in his TEDx talk, “I knew that all players came from living in zopadpatti/slums, and I have to work for them only, so I must continue this name.”
The league grew quickly after that. Matches were now being held at both the city and district levels. Vijay’s work was brought to the attention of a larger audience after an article in Dainik Bhaskar in 2003. Coaches and kids from all over the country wanted to be a part of the Slum Soccer league, which grew into a national phenomenon.
Vijay had no sponsors in the beginning, so he had to fund his endeavours with his own money. His son, who was living in the United States at the time, read an article about it in an American newspaper and returned to support his father.
In a 2018, Barse shared, “I am a sports teacher. But I am not promoting the development of football. I am promoting development through football.”
Slum Soccer’s national tournament in 2007 was covered by the BBC, according to Barse. Andy Hooks, the then-director of the Homeless World Cup, invited Barse to Cape Town. Vijay had the opportunity to meet Nelson Mandela while in South Africa.
“I received the biggest recognition for my work that day when he put a hand on me and said, ‘My son, you’re doing a great job’,” he shared.