Children and disadvantaged families in Malaysia are being provided shoes, rackets, clothing, and access to courts through a life-changing programme.
Over the last four years, Major Maniam, and his friend and sponsor, Dr.V.Nathan, have been providing weekly squash sessions to children, encouraging them to be active while building their confidence through sport.
After an accomplished career in squash, as a former Malaysian national champion and representing his country in three World Team Championships before becoming a leading coach for Malaysia and India, Maniam is now spending time giving back to those in need.
Motivated by his own upbringing in Malaysia, Maniam shared where his inspiration for the programme originated, he said: “Both myself and my friend discussed how our shared background comes from a poor family.
“Dr.Nathan and I struggled very hard to come up in life, and we didn’t get the opportunities early on. So, we felt that the best way to give back was to give to those who we think will benefit the most and enjoy the giving.”
Together, the pair decided to support the Pure Life Society, a non-profit organisation based in the Puchong territory of Kuala Lumpur, which has been home to underprivileged children for the past 30 years.
Maniam said: “We found the Pure Life Society in Malaysia. The people in that society are largely from poor areas. Together, we sympathise and relate to the children, as I struggled very hard in the early days just to buy a squash racket.
“I remember, even as children, we wore our shoes out until we couldn’t use them anymore. So now, we are a little better off with the blessings of everyone, and we want to help support those that need it most.”
Supporting those in need, Maniam’s passion extends beyond the squash court, with the programme supporting the Pure Life Society in transporting the children to the court – as well as providing the 30 to 35 children involved with squash shoes, rackets and additional funds to book coaches at no extra cost.
He continued: “All of it may seem like a lot of money, it costs us about 5,000 Malaysian Ringgit (approximately $1,275 USD) a month and we use that to provide everything they need to play squash and pay for sessions, but the purpose is not to make another World Champion like Nicol David, it is a chance to get children out of the home and into a public area for them to enjoy themselves.”
Maniam added: “I don’t have much money, but I have time, the passion, and the wherewithal to do squash, so it costs me very little, and the returns I get are just humongous.
“Squash itself is a very difficult game, especially for someone who only plays once a week, but it has taught them how to persevere, and you see them wanting to improve.
“When they see their fellow players, some of whom can hit the ball hard, serve and return well, you see them get motivated to improve and really giving it a go. The sessions have taught them that if they work hard at something, that will get good results from it,” Maniam said.
And whilst improvements are being made on the court, the former Malaysian national champion and WSF director of coaching shared that he has seen noticeable improvements off the court also, especially in the children’s happiness and confidence.
He said: “I talked to the management of the Pure Life Society about how the children have changed. From being very shy and not being able to speak up, they are now confident and are in full discussions.
“Not just with me, as they’re familiar with me now, but even when I bring in new coaches in to help, or anyone else who comes along to help with the sessions, they’re very happy to talk. The communication with the children has improved for sure, along with their confidence.”
Since the programme began four years ago, the project has provided many benefits and has supported the children to make significant change to their lives, but it has also had a positive impact on Maniam’s.
In the squash community, he is known as Major Maniam — former international player, national coach, and one of the architects of Malaysia and for 14 years India’s squash success, but in these sessions, he is simply “Uncle”.
He continued: “A lot of people understand that working with children is fun, but they don’t know truly how much joy you get from it unless you get down on the ground and get your knees dirty, you will never know how much fun there is.
“The takeaway for me is when a seven or eight-year-old kid sees you and they come towards you and hold your hand or even hug you, it is a kind of feeling and emotion you cannot express. It is difficult to tell you how emotional one can be, as for the children, their parents are not there for them, so we have to be there for them and act like a parent.
“In their lives, they are surrounded by matrons, teachers, and people who can’t offer them that emotional support, so for me, it’s a great joy to make them happy and be there for them,” Maniam added.
The nurtured support goes far beyond the sport of squash, with the intention of the sessions aiming to provide those involved with positive childhood memories, often going the extra step to reinforce the idea of ‘giving back’.
Maniam said: “Once a month, on a Sunday, I will go to a bakery and get a nice cake, and I will cut the cake for anyone who shares that birthday month.
“The children look forward to that, and they will sing and they enjoy themselves, it is wonderful.”
