From a cab driver to National Games gold for army – Salman Khan is a ray of hope for Mewat youth

The untimely death of his father, who was the family’s lone breadwinner, in 2016, forced then 18-year-old Salman Khan, the eldest among six siblings, to look for a job. 

With no agricultural landholding and no other source of income, Salman, a native of Taoru village in Nuh (Mewat), had to discontinue his studies after 12th and opted to drive a cab with Uber in the National Capital Region to financially sustain his family.

Curt short to October 2022: Salman is a National Games rowing champion and a ray of hope for the youth of Haryana’s Mewat, which is the country’s one of the most backward districts.

 “Shouldering the responsibility of an eight-member family as a teenager was not easy for me. I had seen the days when even making the ends meet was a challenge, but all these hardships made me stronger,” said Salman, who was part of the Services team that won gold in quadruple scull in rowing in the multidiscipline games in Gujarat.

“Had I been driving a cab, no parents would ever want their kids to follow me to be a taxi driver. But it was a selection in the Indian army that changed everything for good. Now with this National Games gold, people of my area want their kids to follow my footsteps – join the army and pursue sports,” said the 6 feet 5 inches tall rower.

Being in the army, Salman is able to provide decent life to his family and take care  of his siblings' education.

“While driving a cab, because of my tall height, many passengers used to suggest to me that I should try my hand in sports. But as there is no sports facility in Mewat, I used to ignore their advice. Then a friend of mine suggested that I should join the army. Thankfully, I got selected in 2018 and because of my tall height, I was picked to pursue rowing,” said Salman. “National Games was my first big event and I hope to make India proud in the coming time.”