Mumbai & Pune, India | February 2025
A week of hockey, connection and community impact in Pune and Mumbai
India Team Trip with HC Mol was a special and inspiring journey by Collective Minds Foundation together with HC Mol to Pune and Mumbai, India. Initiated by valued board member Moses Lodarmasse, the trip brought together friendship, connection and social impact through hockey matches, clinics, community visits and sports equipment donations.
❝The purpose of this team trip was to create meaningful connection through sport and to combine hockey, cultural exchange and social impact in a way that would benefit both the participants and the local communities involved. By bringing players, coaches, schools and communities together in Pune and Mumbai, the project aimed to build friendship, inspire young people and contribute to long-term opportunity through sport.❞
During the week, friendly matches were played in Pune and Mumbai against Hockey Maharashtra and CTC Mumbai. These matches created a strong sense of connection and exchange between teams, while also showing how sport can bring people from different backgrounds together.
A special moment during the trip was the collaboration between HC Mol referee Bernard Ghaye and his Indian colleague, who officiated the matches together. This was a meaningful example of international cooperation through sport.
Throughout the trip, hockey clinics were organised at schools and in the stadium, creating direct opportunities to connect with children and young people. The warm welcome, the energy on the field and the joy on the faces of the children made a lasting impression on everyone involved.
The team also visited NGO Nirman and experienced the community where Collective Minds Foundation runs its programmes. This visit added an important social dimension to the trip and gave the group a deeper understanding of the lives and realities of the children and families connected to the foundation’s work.
Another memorable part of the week was the visit to the Karve Institute, where the group was warmly welcomed by our ambassador Dr. (Prof.) Mahesh B. Thakur. Together with his staff and students, he organised a meaningful programme in which India, social projects and interaction with the players were central.
This part of the trip created space for reflection, learning and exchange, and helped deepen the connection between sport and the wider social context of the project.
Alongside the sporting highlights and well-known sightseeing moments, the group also visited the impressive Dharavi area. This visit left a deep impression on everyone and reinforced the importance of approaching the trip not only as a sporting experience, but also as a moment of awareness, perspective and shared humanity.
The journey to India became much more than a team trip. It was a week of connection, reflection and meaningful encounters that brought people closer together on and off the field.
Together, we were able to create real and lasting impact through the donation of hockey and football equipment to schools and communities. Thanks to the commitment of HC Mol, players, parents and sponsors, these materials will help create new opportunities for children to play sport, continue their development and grow within their communities.
This memorable week once again showed how sport can create connection, inspire young people and strengthen communities. Through matches, clinics, visits and donations, the project brought together friendship, learning and social impact in a meaningful way. We are deeply grateful to everyone who helped make this journey possible.
