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“Dream camp taught me how to order food, when I went to Bangalore, I realized how ready I was for dealing with the real world operational, small and big hurdles. It was because in small ways everyday, MAD had prepared me for it.”
Ayaan lives in Lucknow and is a star cricket player. But before everything got better, things got rough on him. His father passed away when he was just two months old. His mother took care of him until he was nine, but soon couldn’t do it anymore and was compromising on his growth. So, she decided to send him to an orphanage.
When Ayaan was in 4th, he met people from MAD and it was from his class 4th to class 12th that he was a part of MAD.
“Science, Math, English, GK and out of all that MAD taught me, facing the world and having a better sense of myself and my capabilities is what I cherish the most.”
Ayaan loves playing cricket and is very good at it! His friends at the CCI often told him while playing gully cricket that he should think of training more seriously. But gradually, not just his friends, everyone around him began telling him that. Soon Ayaan got noticed by a coach in Lucknow and that is where his journey began with cricket, professionally. He has thoroughly been playing cricket, training, hustling and wants to play for the country one day.
Recently THE AB De Villiers became a volunteer for Make A Difference and as part of all the noble wishes he had for our children, he also wanted to connect one-on-one with three of them with an inclination towards sports. And, the MAD team just knew who one of them was going to be- Ayaan!
The rest is historic. Ayaan, along with two other brilliant youths, traveled to Bangalore and met AB!
“He was so down to earth. He asked us to call him AB, not sir and even played cricket with me. I asked him many questions but the one I was waiting to ask him was about how good I was at batting. To answer me, AB told me that I didn’t need to ask anyone this question. As a player I’ll always know if I’m good or I can do better.”
Ayaan said what AB told him will stay with him forever and he’ll never forget the three days.
“I met AB on Diwali and my Diwali couldn’t have been brighter!”
Ayaan always felt that because he wasted so many years playing cricket casually, and began training much later, he will lag behind. But his interactions with AB made him realize that it’s never too late and that the quality of his training has helped him cover the gap. All he needs to do is keep up now and stay on the field till he makes it to THE field!
“I could have studied anywhere, but what differentiates MAD from others is the energy and atmosphere. At MAD, we study smartly, we study what matters.”
“Saquib sir from MAD made so much of this happen for me. He is not only my mentor, but like family to me. You know why? Because he never gets full of my questions. I’m so grateful for that. I hope I make him proud.”
Ayaan, alongside his cricket training, is also completing his BA in physical education. And, we can’t wait to see all the wonders he does, all the runs he scores at any and every field of his journey!
