teaching silambam free to students from rural areas for the past 30 years and has partnered with the heritage welfare foundation to train children in 20 villages of madurai to do the same panchayat leaders say the art has kept youngsters away from bad habits rajapandi a 29yearold silambam trainer is among those thankful to sport for turning his life around my family was poor i used to cycle 15km a day to learn silambam the sport helped me get a seat in the american college madurai i would never have made it to college or got a job if not for silambam he is now paying it forward and is part of a team that trains rural children in silambam kirtanya krishnamurthy ceo mindfresh training who works with teenagers says sports helps in physical and mental energy management everyone has a set amount of energy available to them if this energy is minimally or excessively challenged then child become vulnerable to selfdestructive behaviours such as substance abuse sports is one of the best ways to provide continuous optimal challenges to a developing mind she says poverty forces children to drop out of schools says sathish thats when they turn to drugs and alcohol says abdul hakkim tamil nadu police weightlifting team coach who trains police personnel from various districts and backgrounds sports is a surefire way to get teens back on track