TRIBUNNEWS.COM - Tampaknya, belum banyak masyarakat Indonesia yang mendengar akrab nama atlet tenis muda satu ini. Padahal, kontribusinya demi kemajuan olahraga tenis di tanah air cukup mengharukan dan layak dapat pengakuan.

Dialah Ishaan Keswani, seorang remaja berdarah India yang telah menggemari olahraga tenis sejak usia dini. Ia saat ini mengenyam pendidikan di Jakarta Intercultural School (JIS), Terogong, Jakarta Selatan.

Sejak usia lima tahun, kedua orang tuanya telah memperkenalkan dia kepada tenis dengan impian bahwa kelak ia akan jadi the next Roger Federer.

Kepada Tribunnews melalui video conference Zoom, Ishaan bercerita mengenai kecintaannya kepada tenis dan gagasan mulianya untuk mengajarkan olahraga ini kepada anak-anak lainnya.

Jatuh cinta pada tenis sejak kecil

Menjemput impian megah menjadi petenis andal adalah jalan penuh rintangan. Ishaan harus berlatih lebih keras, dan bukan hal mudah untuk menggugah minatnya kala itu, ketika bermain iPad mungkin lebih memikat untuk anak seusianya.

“Meski baru berusia lima tahun ketika mulai bermain tenis, saya seketika merasa bersemangat untuk bersaing dan itu didorong oleh keinginan saya untuk jadi sebaik pelatih saya, atau bahkan lebih baik. Saya tak suka menerima kekalahan. Itu bukan hal mudah. Jadi, untuk menghilangkan segala perasaan menakutkan itu, saya terus berlatih dan tak pernah membiarkan diri saya merasa ‘bagus’ atau ‘cukup baik’, karena sikap itu bisa membuat saya kalah,” ungkap Ishaan.

Sejak usia lima tahun itulah latihan demi latihan ditempuh. Banyak pantangan dan aturan yang wajib dilakoni, salah satunya latihan berlari sebanyak mungkin--sesuatu yang tak begitu ia gemari.

Ada satu momen yang menggebrak hidupnya dalam sekejap. Suatu hari, pelatihnya menyuruh ia untuk memukul 100 bola tenis dari mesin pelontar. Panik dan kalut, itulah yang ia rasakan. Bagaimana jika ia akan dilukai bola itu bertubi-tubi? Akan tetapi, ia berhasil menepis rasa takutnya, mengayunkan raketnya sambil memejamkan mata. Ia selamat!

Melampaui rasa takutnya kala itu membuat ia sadar: tenis memanglah bagian dari hidupnya.

Perlahan, tenis menjadi obsesi nomor wahid baginya. Dengan yakin ia berkata, “Tenis lebih dari sekadar permainan. Tenis memberi saya hal-hal yang tak dapat ternilai atau terukur, seperti pemahaman tentang mengatasi tekanan, cara menjadi kuat secara mental, cara bertahan dan menumbuhkan percaya diri, dan cara menetapkan tujuan untuk diri sendiri.”

Tenis bagi hidup seorang Ishaan Keswani adalah semacam pelarian untuk melepaskan semua masalah, kejengkelan, dan hal-hal yang membuatnya stres.

Dan tibalah ia pada momen di mana ia memetik kerja kerasnya. Ia telah menggeluti berbagai liga-liga swasta yang kompetitif sejak sebelum masuk sekolah menengah, di mana ia menjadi bagian dari regu utama sekolah menengah di tahun keduanya. Pada tahun itulah ia meraih predikat petenis terbaik.

Tak hanya itu, Ishaan juga telah berpartisipasi dalam berbagai turnamen besar, di antaranya di BSJ, Sportama, dan turnamen Varsity-IASAS.

Obsesi untuk berbagi manfaat kepada orang lain

Meski telah melewati serangkaian latihan keras dan kerap berlaga di ajang tenis tingkat tinggi, ia tak ingin menyimpan rapat kepiawaian bertenisnya hanya untuk diri sendiri.

Ia berpikir, mengapa tidak bakat ini disalurkan untuk membagi manfaat buat mereka, anak-anak di luar sana, yang terlahir tanpa cukup uang dan kesempatan untuk mencintai tenis seperti dirinya? Ishaan yakin, masih banyak anak di luar sana yang menginginkan apa yang telah ia capai.

Hari demi hari, inspirasi menghantamnya. Dalam perjalanannya pulang-pergi ke sekolah, ia selalu berjalan melewati sebuah yayasan yatim piatu yang sangat sederhana. Namanya, Lestari Sayang Anak.

Awalnya, ia cukup terkesiap dengan kehadiran panti asuhan kecil yang berbagi lingkungan dengan sekolahnya, salah satu lembaga pendidikan internasional paling mewah di Ibu Kota. Baginya, hal ini layaknya menampakkan potret kesenjangan ekonomi yang nyata.

“Saya akui, saya hidup dalam “gelembung” untuk waktu yang begitu lama. Saya ingin menemukan cara kecil untuk membantu anak-anak menemukan tantangan dan kedamaian yang dibawa tenis kepada saya,” cerita Ishaan.

Suatu ketika, Ishaan bertemu dengan apa yang disebutnya “cara kecil” untuk berbagi orang lain.

Saat itu, setelah selesai latihan tenis, ia mampir sebentar ke panti asuhan Lestari Sayang Anak. Saat memasuki yayasan tersebut, ia terkejut dengan betapa hangatnya anak-anak sekaligus para pengurus yayasan menyambut kedatangannya.

Ishaan tak dapat menghapus kesan pertama memandang anak-anak yatim piatu itu. Menurutnya, anak-anak itu telah melewati banyak hal sulit dan terjal (ia menyebut hal-hal sulit itu sebagai “setan-setan langka” yang seharusnya tak dialami anak sekecil itu).

“Saya bisa melihat anak-anak ini melewati saat-saat tersulit, namun mereka berhasil bisa bertahan hidup dengan segala keterbatasannya. Yang paling mengguncang saya adalah kenyataan bahwa setiap anak tampak begitu bahagia, tanpa penyangkalan. Entah bagaimana, saya tahu bahwa saya berada di tempat yang tepat,” ungkap Ishaan.

Ia melanjutkan, “Kemudian, saya berbicara dengan pengelola panti asuhan, Ingrid Van Der Mark, tentang keinginan saya untuk mengajar tenis di sana. Dia sangat menyukai gagasan itu dan dia ingin saya dapat membuat rencana bersama.”

Ishaan awalnya tak dapat memungkiri betapa gugupnya ia meyakinkan para pengurus lembaga mengenai rencananya untuk mengajari anak-anak bermain tenis. Apakah ia yakin? Apakah mereka yakin? Bagaimana cara membayar semua biaya tersebut?

“Tetapi,” lanjut Ishaan, “Saya memutuskan untuk menyingkirkan rasa takut dan intimidasi itu. Jadi, inilah saya saat itu: seorang anak laki-laki berusia 17 tahun, berjalan sendirian dengan penuh percaya diri dan sikap yang benar. Usia tak bisa menghentikan langkah saya. Saya senang Bu Ingrid memahami tekad saya, dan saya sangat bersyukur tidak menyia-nyiakan kesempatan ini!”

Inisiasi “Courtside Connection”: menjadi pelatih sukarela bagi para yatim piatu

Lahirlah inisiatif bertajuk “Courtside Connection”, sebuah rencana untuk mengajar 10-15 anak setiap minggu untuk memperkenalkan keindahan bermain tenis, mengasah kemampuan mereka, dan menanamkan sikap-sikap disiplin yang harus dimiliki seorang atlet.

Akan tetapi, menggubah rencana besar jadi nyata butuh dedikasi tingkat dewa.

Banyak hal yang harus Ishaan kelola dengan sungguh-sungguh. Ia menghabiskan banyak waktu mematangkan rencananya menjadi pelatih untuk tingkat pemula, terlepas dari pengalamannya yang sudah mencicipi kompetisi tingkat tinggi. Di balik perjuangannya, ada dukungan dari sang pelatih tenis kaliber Indonesia, Alex Santoso (ATS).

Kemudian, ia mempersiapkan peralatan yang diperlukan mulai dari sepatu, kaus, tennis cone, raket, dan sebagainya. Untuk memenuhi kebutuhannya, Ishaan menginisiasi penggalangan dana publik, salah satunya dengan mengorganisir turnamen tenis ganda.

Selain sukses memikat sponsor dari perusahaan-perusahaan besar, ia juga merekrut 40 orang yang sukarela membantu perjuangannya. Ia bahkan berhasil meyakinkan sederet pemain tenis unggulan untuk mendukung turnamen tenis ganda hasil inisiasinya.

Usaha gigihnya menuai hasil terbaik pada hari pertama latihan di Courtside Connection. Ishaan takkan melupakan hari itu. Meski gugup, ia cukup piawai berperan sebagai pelatih tenis, pengalaman pertamanya seumur hidup.

Setelah beberapa saat melatih, ia dengan puas mengatakan, anak-anak yang dilatihnya tertawa girang menikmati sesi latihan.

“Definisi terbaik saya tentang keberhasilan Courtside Connections adalah semakin banyaknya senyuman yang saya lihat. Saya tidak pernah mengukur program saya dalam skor atau permainan, tetapi dalam kegembiraan dan kepercayaan diri mereka yang semakin meningkat,” ujar Ishaan, semringah.

Kesuksesan pribadinya adalah melihat anak-anak panti asuhan itu kian mengembangkan hasratnya dalam bertenis, terlebih jika hasrat itu tak lekang oleh waktu.

“Saya akan merasa lebih sukses jika mereka (anak-anak panti asuhan) mampu mengendalikan sikap mereka dan selalu mendorong diri untuk menjadi pribadi terbaik,” lanjut Ishaan.

Menemukan Risky, bakat baru yang penuh inspirasi

Salah satu anak yang memukau atensinya adalah Risky Aprillia, anak yang bermain dengan semangat yang belum pernah ia lihat sebelumnya dari seorang pemula.

“Saya melihat semangatnya. Antusiasmenya terhadap tenis menghubungkan kami, karena saya menemukan di dalam dirinya seseorang yang ingin memainkan olahraga ini untuk waktu yang sangat lama. Saya jadi sangat bersemangat untuk latihan berikutnya,” ungkap Ishaan.

Risky juga sempat berkisah secuil latar belakang hidupnya yang pilu: kedua orang tuanya meninggalkan ia di panti asuhan karena tak mampu merawatnya. Namun, hal itu tak menyamarkan semangat juangnya dalam berlatih!

Tekad Risky benar-benar menyentuh hatinya. Ishaan melanjutkan, "Risky memiliki ketahanan fisik dan mental yang kuat dibandingkan dengan anak-anak lainnya dan dia tidak pernah membiarkan bola meleset, servis yang buruk, atau tembakan yang salah akan menjatuhkannya. Dia hanya bekerja lebih giat dan terus meningkat menjadi semakin baik.”

Ishaan ingat salah satu ucapan Rizky suatu waktu, “Aku tidak akan menyerah sampai aku lebih baik darimu!” Ishaan tersenyum dan berkata, "Aku menantikan hari itu!"

Inisiatif kecil yang akan terus berlanjut besar

Keberhasilan demi keberhasilan diraihnya selama menjalani latihan setiap minggu. Anak-anak berkembang makin baik di setiap sesi. Beberapa anak yang terlihat enggan kini mulai antusias berlatih lebih jauh.

“Saya benar-benar menyaksikan mereka berubah dari anak-anak yang pasif menjadi para pemain yang agresif,” tegasnya.

Dengan kata lain, Ishaan Keswani, seorang petenis belia kebangaan Indonesia, telah berhasil membawa Courtside Connection menjadi wadah mimpinya untuk membuka kesempatan bagi para bakat-bakat muda yang memiliki keterbatasan.

Kini, Ia telah melihat manfaatnya: Rizky dan puluhan anak yatim piatu lainnya mendapat peluang untuk mengembangkan bakatnya yang luar biasa! Dengan cara ini pula ia kian jatuh cinta pada olahraga tenis, dan akan membawa Courtside Connection lebih matang dan berjangka panjang.

“Saya ingin mengembangkan Courtside Connection dengan menjangkau komunitas lain. Saya akan menggaet teman lain yang berkomitmen pada olahraga dan misi saya, bahkan mengembangkan ke panti asuhan lain dalam tahun ini,” ucap Ishaan.

Terakhir, ia mengatakan, setiap orang yang telah berpengalaman memiliki tanggung jawab untuk menyalurkan kemampuannya demi memberi dampak positif terhadap orang lain--tak peduli siapa pun Anda, sesulit apa pun rintangan yang harus ditempuh, bahkan sekecil apa pun dampaknya bagi kemanusiaan. Setiap orang, tak peduli di negara mana ia lahir, pasti memiliki daya untuk membuat perubahan.

Ishaan memungkas wawancara dengan kata-kata yang begitu menggugah siapa saja yang membacanya: “Temukanlah bakat Anda dan bagikan tanpa ada tekanan untuk ‘mengubah dunia’. Cukup ubahlah satu kehidupan kecil. Berikan kembali kepada dunia yang masih memberi Anda begitu banyak. Keluarlah dari zona nyaman Anda dan lihatlah melampaui diri sendiri. Percayalah, jika saya bisa melakukannya, Anda pasti juga bisa!” pungkas Ishaan dengan mantap.(*)

ENGLISH TRANSLATION

Teaching More Than a Sport—Courtside Connection Gives Hope

TRIBUNNEWS.COM - It seems that not many Indonesians have heard the familiar name of this young tennis athlete. In fact, his contribution to the advancement of tennis in this country is really touching and deserves abundant recognition.

He is Ishaan Keswani, a teenager with Indian blood who has been passionate about tennis from an early age. He is currently studying at the Jakarta Intercultural School (JIS), Terogong, South Jakarta.

Since the age of five, his parents have introduced him to tennis with the dream that one day he will be the next Roger Federer.

To Tribunnews via Zoom video conference, Ishaan talked about his love for tennis and his noble idea of teaching this sport to other children.

Falling in love with tennis since his childhood

Fulfilling the grand dream of becoming a good tennis player is a road full of obstacles. Ishaan had to train very hard, and it was not easy to arouse his interest at that time, when playing the iPad might be more attractive for children of his age.

“Even though I was only five when I started, I almost immediately was competitive and was fuelled by my desire to become just as good as my coach or better.  I fell in love with the satisfaction and feeling of hitting shots and leaving my ‘take no prisoners’ attitude all on the court. I hated losing and, if I’m honest, it has never gotten easier. So in order to avoid that dreaded feeling, I constantly practiced and never let myself accept ‘ok’ or ‘good enough’ because that attitude could land me on the losing side,” said Ishaan.

However, he was uninspired to train at first. There were too many rules, and he hated running so much.

One day, his coach told him that he had to hit 100 balls from a machine. He remembered panicking in fear of the ball hitting him, so he held his racket as far out as he could and closed his eyes. He survived!

Thankfully, he eventually got over his fears, and tennis evolved into his obsession day by day. Ishaan declares, “Tennis was more than just a game; tennis gave me things that can’t be scored or measured, like a sense of how to handle pressure, how to be mentally strong, how to maintain and grow confidence, and how to set goals for myself.”

Going beyond her fear at that time made him realize: tennis was indeed a part of her life.

Slowly, tennis became her number one obsession. It has always been an escape for him to vent all the problems, demons, and stressors that everyday life brings him.

And he arrived at the moment where he learned his hard work. He has been in various competitive private leagues since before entering high school, where he was part of the high school main squad in his junior year.

“Since then, I’ve worked non-stop to humbly become the number one ranked player in my roster by junior year. I’ve also competed in BSJ, Sportama, and the Varsity-IASAS tournaments,” he added.

Obsessed to sharing hopes with others

Even though he has gone through a series of hard training and often competes in high-level tennis events, he doesn't want to keep his tennis skills only to himself.  He wants to share these benefits with those who don’t have either the funds or the opportunities to understand what this sport could do for them.

Inspiration hit. Ishaan passed Lestari Sayang Anak every day on his way to school; this dilapidated orphanage shared a neighborhood with one of the most glamorous areas in Jakarta.

In other words, he was quite surprised by the presence of a small orphanage that shared the environment with his school, one of the most luxurious international educational institutions in Indonesia. For him, this is like showing a real portrait of economic disparity.

He stopped one day after tennis practice and went inside, where he was so shocked that everyone there greeted him so warmly.

He could see the children faced rare demons yet managed to survive with extraordinarily little. “What rocked me the most was the fact that each and every one of the kids seemed undeniably happy,” told Ishaan.

He had since thought about how to share meaningful things to the lovely children there. He wanted them to be empowered while experiencing what tennis can bring to their lives.

He added, “I admit I lived in a bubble for a long time. I wanted to find even a small way of helping younger kids find that combination of challenge and peace that tennis has brought to me. I believe it is these little things that can completely change someone’s day and mentality and can improve it tremendously. I wanted to empower kids.”

Eventually, Ishaan found the right way to help the children. He spoke to the orphanage administrator Ingrid Van Der Mark about his joyful desire to teach tennis there. She really loved the idea and wanted him to put a plan together.

At first, he was extremely nervous. He racked himself with questions like, why would anyone listen to me or take me seriously? How could I convince the administrators that I could make a real program and stick to it? How would I find a way to pay for the type of program I wanted the kids to have?

“But,” Ishaan continued, “I decided to push past that fear and intimidation. So, here I was, a 17-year-old boy walking in alone full of confidence and the right attitude. I wasn’t going to let my age stop me. I was so happy Ms Ingrid saw my determination, and I’m really grateful I didn’t forgo the opportunity I made happen!”

Initiation of the “Courtside Connection”

So, that was how Courtside Connection was finally born; a program to teach 10 to 15 kids weekly with a goal of helping them to understand the sport, increase their ability levels, and establish disciplined habits.

But, there were many things that Ishaan must take seriously. He spent a lot of time working out his plans to become a trainer for the beginner level, despite his experience of competing in high-level competition. Behind his struggle, there also comes the support from the Indonesian caliber tennis coach, Alex Santoso (ATS).

Later on, he prepared the necessary equipment starting from shoes, jerseys, tennis cones, rackets, and so on. To economically fulfill his needs, Ishaan initiated public fundraising, one of which was by organizing a double tennis tournament.

Besides successfully attracting sponsors from big corporations, he also recruited 40 people who volunteered to help his cause. He even managed to convince a number of top tennis players to support the doubles tennis tournament he initiated.

“I had put it together by firstly deciding the amount needed to fundraise and then inviting over 40 people to have a doubles tournament that would be enjoyable and competitive for everyone. I was able to convince top ranked players to believe in my cause. Then we organised two different teams that had 10 partners each and alternated to have as much social experience as possible,” he remarked.

His persistent efforts reaped the best results on the first day of training at Courtside Connection. Ishaan won't forget that day. Although feeling so nervous, he was quite great at taking the role as a tennis coach, his first experience in his life.

After some time, he applauded that the kids were laughing and enjoying their time on the court.

“My best definition of success for Courtside Connections is the growing number of smiles I see. I’ve never wanted to measure my program in scores or games but in the joy of the kids and their growing confidence in themselves,” said Ishaan, joyfully.

His personal success is seeing the orphanage children increasingly develop their passion for tennis, especially to play long term.

“I would feel even more successful if some of our kids felt more empowered to take control of their attitudes and always push themselves to be the best people,” he continued.

Rizky, an inspiring new talent

One of the children who caught his attention was Rizky, a child who played with a gleaming passion he had never seen before from a beginner.

“I  saw his drive. His enthusiasm for tennis connected us, as I found in him someone who would want to play this sport for a very long time. I couldn't have been more excited for the next practice,” Ishaan explained.

Rizky told Ishaan about his parents leaving him there because they couldn’t afford to take care of him. Ishaan could tell he struggled with many justifiable, complex emotions, but he didn’t use them as an excuse or crutch.

Risky's determination really moved him. Ishaan stated, "Rizky had resilience above the others and never let a missed ball, bad serve, or misjudged shot get him down. He just worked harder and constantly improved. He set goals for himself and believed it was up to him to accomplish them.”

Ishaan remembered one of Rizky's sayings in one moment, “I won’t give up until I’m better than you”, Rizky chuckled in one lesson. Ishaan smiled and cheered, “I wish for that day!”

Small initiatives that will continue to grow bigger

Success after success has been achieved during training every week. The children gradually improved with each session. Some of the children who seemed reluctant are now starting to get encouragingly enthusiastic about further training.

“I was literally witnessing them transform from passive children to aggressive players,” he declared.

In other words, Ishaan Keswani, a young tennis player, has succeeded in bringing Courtside Connection to become her dream vessel to broadly open opportunities for young talents that are born with unlucky fates.

Now, he has seen the bright changes: Rizky and dozens of other orphans have the opportunity to develop their extraordinary talents! In this way, Ishaan also seems to think he falls in love with the sport of tennis more and more, and promises to bring Courtside Connection to a more mature and long-term realization.

“I want to expand the Courtside Connection by reaching other communities. I will be adding other friends who are committed to the sport and my mission and expand to other orphanages within the year. I welcome anyone who feels strongly about the sport and sharing their time and talent to help me in this mission,” he said.

Lastly, he said he believed everyone had responsibility to use their talents to connect with others in positive ways, and he believed they must use everyday opportunities as vehicles for sharing impacts to the world, no matter how scary or intimidating they might seem.

“I know some teenagers may feel the challenges of a developing country are too big for them, that they are powerless to really do anything to change the major problems we face. But find your talent and simply share it without feeling any pressure to ‘change the world’ but instead change one small life. I would say give back to the world that has still given you so much. Please come out of your bubble and choose to see beyond yourself. Believe me, if I can do it, so can you!” he encouraged.(*)