The teams from Yerawada Central Jail Pune and Children Correctional Home Bhopal have been coached under the Parivartan-Prison to Pride initiative, which covers 105 prison and juvenile homes, 29 state and UT, and over 5,000 inmates and juveniles in five phases. The initiative provides training in various sports, including chess, basketball, badminton, volleyball, and carrom, to inmates across prisons in India, promoting their physical and mental well-being.

The IndianOil coaches include former Women’s National Champion Manjusha Kanwar, Arjuna awardee Abhinn Shyam Gupta, former Doubles National Champion S Arun Vishnu, Chess Woman Grand Masters Soumya Swaminathan and Padmini Raut, Grand Masters Lalith Babu and Abhijit Kunte, Tennis ace Rushmi Chakravarthi, and renowned International Carrom players Yogesh Pardeshi, Mohd Gufran, and Kajal Kumari. Former first-class cricketer Mr. B G Joglekar has guided the inmates throughout the program.

The Intercontinental “Chess for Freedom” online chess championship for prisoners brought together 118 teams from 50 countries, representing all continents, offering inmates a unique opportunity to connect with peers across the globe. The Corporation, in association with the All India Chess Federation (AICF) and Prison Authorities, provided essential facilities for the tournament, including training, computers, and internet access to all participating Indian prisons.

Felicitating the team members from both locations, Shrikant Madhav Vaidya, Chairman, of IndianOil, said, “We are extremely proud of this ‘beyond business’ intervention, and successes like this give us confidence to further invest in such social stewardship initiatives that have the potential to truly make a difference at the grassroots. This remarkable achievement will further strengthen our resolve to uplift the lives of inmates and offer resilience, hope, and second chances.“

IndianOil has garnered recognition and accolades for this outstanding social work. It received the “Sports for Social Good” award from “The Hindu” and Sports Star for its remarkable contributions through the Parivartan-Prison to Pride Initiative. The World Chess Federation (FIDE) also invited the team to the first “Chess for Freedom” conference in Chicago in May 2023.

IndianOil is a diversified, integrated energy major with a net profit of Rs. [?]8,242 crores for fiscal 2022-23, touching the lives of over a billion Indians. With a 31,000-plus workforce, extensive refining, distribution & marketing infrastructure, and advanced R&D facilities, IndianOil has provided energy access to millions of people across the length and breadth of the country through its ever-expanding network of customer touchpoints, currently numbering over 60,000.

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PUNE: Mr. S M Vaidya, Chairman, IndianOil, felicitated the six inmates from Yerawada Prison, Pune, who secured a Bronze medal for India at the recently concluded Intercontinental’ Chess for Freedom’ Online Championship for Prisoners, organized by World Chess Federation (FIDE). This was the first time the tournament witnessed the participation of Indian Prison Teams, who competed with more than 85 teams from 46 countries. The participating Indian teams were groomed and trained under IndianOil’s “Parivartan – Prison to Pride” initiative which is the brainchild of Mr. Vaidya. Under this outreach, IndianOil is facilitating training programs in various sports such as chess, basketball, badminton, volleyball, and carrom across prisons in India to help improve the physical and mental well-being of inmates. During the occasion, Mr. Vaidya felicitated Mr. Ketan Khaire, who played an instrumental role in imparting training to the jail inmates under the supervision of IndianOil. Mr. Vaidya also honored Mr. Shivshankar Patil, Superintendent of Yerwada Jail, and two other senior jail officials for supporting this unique cause.

Speaking on occasion, Mr. S M Vaidya, Chairman, IndianOil, said, “The success of the brilliant Chess Team from Yerawada Jail reinforces our belief in the magical power of sports to inspire hope and optimism amidst the toughest challenges. We are committed to stewarding Parivartan forward and expanding the healing footprint of sports across our prisons”. Lauding the mental resilience of the inmates, Mr Vaidya said, “You don’t always have to make forward moves to win a game. Like chess, in life, too, you have to take a step back at times to move forward toward a better future.“

IndianOil, in association with the All India Chess Federation, selected the Indian teams for this Intercontinental Championship through the first ever “Parivartan– Prison to Pride Online Chess Tournament” in wherein 20 Indian prisons took part. Teams from Pune and Prayagraj Prisons booked their berth for the Championship, while the Women & Juvenile teams from Tihar Jail qualified in their respective categories.

Since its launch on 15th August 2021, IndianOil has covered 37 Prisons spanning 20 states and 5 Union Territories, coaching over 1750 inmates in three phases. Through this outreach, coaching facilities are being provided along with the equipment and kits to the participants. International-level sportspersons from IndianOil are supervising the program.

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