Love does what logic can’t. Otherwise, how does a woman not even from Punjab end up changing the fortunes of people in a border constituency
This is the story of Kavita Daftary—barrister, athlete, swimmer and squash player, LSE- and Harvard-trained—falling in love with Vinod Khanna, the superstar-turned-MP, and building a bond that went far beyond romance: a shared purpose toserve, to show up, and to leave a place better than they found it.
That purpose leads to Gurdaspur, Punjab—on the India–Pakistan border—a region of enormous beauty and potential, but also a hard reality shaped by cross-border narcotics smuggling. The Border Security Force (BSF) has publicly reported that along the Punjab border (Jan 1–Nov 30, 2025) it seized 272 drones coming from Pakistan and recovered 367.8 kg heroin, 19 kg ICE (methamphetamine) and 14.5 kg opium. Kavita’s answer is to turn pain into purpose. Through the Kavita & Vinod Khanna Foundation (KVKF), she’s scaling daily sport across villages—what began in 20 villages has grown to 167+, with football and volleyball programs giving children (and families) a different rhythm, a different identity, and a real alternative. Remarkably, 22% of participants are girls—a quiet revolution in itself.
To keep this momentum growing, Kavita says she needs people power—support in funds or in-kind (kits, footballs, cones, gear), and volunteers who can share skills and time.
Email to reach the foundation or Kavita directly is: coo@kvkf.org
Full episode “Next Maradona Can Be from India: An Unfiltered Conversation with Kavita Khanna”
#LIVE NOW on :YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@loveenatandonproductions
Podcast – Smart Link:
https://bingepods.com/podcast/podcast-rn7moe
Join Our Discord Community:
https://discord.gg/p2UYt9uV5d
Please do like SUBSCRIBE AND CONNECT ON DISCORD.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices