Youngster is lone spiker from J&K to represent india and play in Pro Volleyball League
Saqlain Tariq believes that had his father not plucked him out of his home in Jammu and Kashmir after Class 8 and planted him into Punjab, he wouldn't have been where he is today.
The 21-year-old Saqlain is the first volleyball player from the Valley to represent India in any age group, breaking into the national U-21 team last year. He is also the only from the state to find his name in the Pro Volleyball League (PVL) that begun on Saturday, having been picked up by the U Mumba Volley franchise for Rs 1.10 lakh.
Hailing from Poonch, a remote district along the border, Saqlain's father, Mohammad Tariq Khan — a former state volleyball player himself and current coach in a government high school — saw the potential in his son quite early. However, he was also quick to realise that the talent would remain untapped had he confined Saqlain to the boundaries of his home.
"There was no culture of promoting sports and kids who are interested in pursuing sports in Kashmir," Saqlain said. "So, after my Class 8 exams, my father sent me and my elder brother to Punjab to pursue volleyball. If my father hadn't done that, I don't know where I would have been in life today."
A major reason for the uncertainty was the prevailing conditions in the state, which can easily be a source of distraction to the youth.
The idea of preventing kids from engaging in drugs and militancy led to the formation of Real Kashmir FC, the first football club from the Valley to be part of the I-League. It was the same thought process the led to Tariq Sr. taking Saqlain away from his homeland.
"There were a lot of distractions," Saqlain said. "Plus, there is no infrastructure at all. The players who are currently playing there do not even play full time. There is just no environment and facilities to focus on the sport properly.
"You should be in Kashmir to see the amount of craze for sports the state has. You go to any local level match there, be it football or volleyball, you will see hundreds of people watching it. There is a lot of passion, but no infrastructure. No one to teach, no one to mentor, no one to show them the way," he added.
His father duly did that, and from thereon Saqlain turned all his energies towards the sport after shifting to Ludhiana.
Saqlain, who plays as a setter, rose through the ranks and became the first from his volleyball-playing family to make the cut to the top level. The spiker led the country at the 10th Asian Youth Volleyball in 2014 in Colombo, and was part of the India U-21 team at the 2018 BRICS Games in Johannesburg.
"I just wanted to play for my father. I wanted to do justice to his struggles, warna main apni nazaro se gir jata (otherwise I would have lost my self-respect).
"Today, I'm happy that whatever expectations my father had of me, I have fulfilled them. I've played for India, and now with this league (PVL), hopefully the fame will come along too," the 6ft-2in Saqlain said.
He also hopes to nurture the rich sporting talent in his picturesque state once he is done playing the sport actively. "Not just volleyball, I want it do it for all sports. I want to grow the sports culture in Kashmir. I urge the government to chip in too and encourage kids who want to pursue their dreams. If we do that, the future will see many more Saqlains come out of Kashmir," he said.
KNOW SAQLAIN
- Full name: Saqlain Tariq
- Age: 21
- Born: Poonch, Jammu and Kashmir
- Position: Setter
- Height: 190cm (6’2”)
- Spike height: 328cm
- Block height: 305cm
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