Aparajita Foundation

The Aparajita foundation consists of people from diverse backgrounds like sports, media, law and bureaucracy who were hitherto involved in helping ex and current-athletes, and students from marginalised groups find jobs or go back to education. India derives its athletic prowess predominantly from among the marginalised communities who lack the education, resources and guidance to not only pursue their athletic careers to their full potential but also to find post-retirement employment. They face systemic obstacles in the form of outdated laws and policies that limit their prospects. The meaning of Aparajita is undefeated. We hope to send the same message with our foundation- that one doesn’t have to be defeated by fate, institutional obstacles or circumstance. We specialise in petitioning the government for policy changes via various RTIs, and representations made to the sports secretary to advocate for more inclusive sports recruitment laws. Among our successes was the withdrawal of a government agency recruitment policy that we highlighted to be discriminatory on the basis of gender. The other area of operation is centered around sponsoring and mentoring of athletes. Raising awareness about one’s rights and empowering athletes through guidance and coordination with government agencies in helping them take advantage of the right scheme or have the right documentation (for example caste certificates) to avail of these schemes is also part of our work. The foundation is a result of the need for a formalised group to more efficiently advocate issues of discrimination, outdated policy and related systemic problems faced by our athletes today. It combines the varied proficiencies of its trustees who have real-world experience in both the world of sports and bureaucracy, media and legal institutions.