Bare feet kick up dust, laughter cuts through the winter air and a rugby ball moves swiftly from hand to hand at Maidan on a chilly Saturday morning.
For nine days every December, this open ground transforms into the heart of Khelo Rugby Winter Camp, a grassroot initiative by Future Hope, which aims to reshape what sport can mean to underprivileged children of Kolkata slums.
Hundreds of children arrived each morning at Maidan to try their hand at rugby during the nine-day camp that kicked off on 24 December. By the end of it, close to 2,000 children will have passed through the field, many discovering rugby for the first time, others returning to a game they now claim as their own.
“This is Winter Camp. Khelo Rugby has been doing this for 20 years,” says Paul Walsh, sports director of Future Hope and the man who started the programme. “Each day we have about 600 children coming. They’re managed and run by young leaders and coaches from their own communities. It gives them hands-on experience of coaching, organising and planning. For the smaller kids, it’s something really exciting to look forward to.”
Walsh is careful not to frame the camp as charity. What matters more, he says, is ownership. “Rugby may not be popular across India, but for these children it’s everything. They absolutely love it. It’s their game. If we did this with football or cricket, you’d have adults shouting instructions from the sidelines. Because it’s rugby, and not many adults understand it, nobody bosses them around. That freedom makes it more fun and it makes it theirs.”
A game that belongs to them
A sense of belonging is what keeps the camp buzzing year after year. The children come from bastis across Kolkata, some travelling farther than they ever have before. On the field, they are equals. Discipline is gentle but firm, enforced by young coaches who know every child by name because they grew up in the same lanes.
“It’s one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen,” says Andrew Fleming, British Deputy High Commissioner for east and north east India, who has become a familiar presence at the camp. “These kids live in situations people like me cannot imagine. And here they come, treated as equals, given a chance to try things, to grow in confidence, to lead.”
Fleming recalls the first morning he finally turned up. “I was completely blown away. I went home and told my son, you have to come with me tomorrow. Now, if I’m in town, I try to come every day. What this leads to, what it means, words fail me.”
For him, sport fills a gap that formal education often cannot. “They’re not learning leadership, teamwork or confidence in the schools they go to. This is an essential part of childhood, playing in a safe environment, trying new things. To be taken out of a tiny world and brought here is huge.”
Breakfast, belief and backing
The camp runs on goodwill as much as it runs on grit. Every morning, breakfast arrives from some of Kolkata’s best-known hospitality names, including Trincas, Flurys and the Taj. Feeding hundreds of children daily has become a ritual at the camp.
Coordinating much of that effort is chef and consultant Shaun Kenworthy, once a rugby player himself. “We all started by throwing a ball around and kids joined in,” he says. “That was the beginning. To see what Khelo Rugby has become now is incredible.”
Kenworthy believes rugby teaches lessons that stay for life. “It’s a great leveller. There’s space for every shape and size. There’s discipline and respect built into the game. You listen to the referee. You look after your teammates. That stays with you.”
Along with Future Hope, organisations such as Jungle Crows and other NGOs partner with the camp, widening its reach and influence. “It’s about bringing people together,” Walsh says. “Hotels, NGOs, volunteers, young coaches. Everyone plays a part.”
From winter camp to the world stage
Sumit Kumar Roy, a 20-year-old Behala resident, is a clear example of what the camp can lead to. Born to a bus driver, the sole bread-earner in the family, Sumit is now an international rugby player.
“I was introduced to rugby in 2015,” he says. “A friend told me we’d get food and jerseys. We didn’t even know the game.”
There were setbacks. He was once dropped from an India under-20 camp because he was considered underweight. “My brothers told me it’s okay, you’ll make it next time,” he recalls. He did. In 2022, he represented India at under-18 level in Nepal and was later picked in the inaugural Rugby Premier League auction for Rs 1.25 lakh — this was a life-changing moment for his family.
Lean built, Sumit grins when asked what he loves most. “Tackling players bigger than me,” he says.
Looking at the children nearby, he adds, “Don’t give up. Just keep playing. One day you will get it.”