Meene eyes dropped from left to right and back, looking for a passing moment when it could move.
Playing Kabaddi, Indian contact sport that is now played in more than 50 countries around the world.
Kabaddi’s game is played between two teams and each with seven players. Individuals alternate to run into half of the opposition opponent to mark their opponents and return to their half without fighting the ground.
But for the 14-year-old Meen, this is more than winning points. Sport offers an escape from a limited, rural life and opens the world of opportunity.
“I feel different when I play,” he says shyly, struggling to find words. “At that moment, I’m not a Meena who is owed homework, measured by pressures and expectations. It’s just me and an opponent … It seems more powerful than other girls who don’t play.”
Meena lives on the outskirts of a small tribal village, Kudoshi, about 230 km away from Indian financial capital in Mumbai, where the life of girls traditionally revolves around household chores, marriages and children.
But 15 years ago, a group of teachers at a village school decided that they wanted to give girls more opportunities.
“I have a daughter. I want her to achieve things in life, live the best life she can, be something,” says one of them, Daji to Rajgur. “Why can’t girls play Kabaddi and make a career from that?”
So, he and his colleagues, who played Kabaddi when they were younger, thought it would be good to learn local girls how to play. They collected their savings – 5,000 rupees ($ 60; £ 50) – he persuaded the school to let them use their foundations and opened it, which they believe is the first Kabaddi club in the region.
Only two girls joined the start, who were students at school. “The parents were not ready to let their girls play Kabaddi, because it meant to spend a lot of time away from home,” he says. “They also took care of the impact they could have on the odds of their daughter’s marriage,” because traditional families would not approve of girls who go out and return home late.
Daji and his colleagues went from door to door, convincing their parents that their daughters would be safe playing Kabaddi in training before and after school. They were convinced that the girls would monitor them properly and not allow them to interfere with the guys.
At the beginning, teachers would pick up girls from their homes and reject them, but as the numbers parted, they were no longer able to. Now there are about 30 girls at the club and they estimate that about 300 have trained with them since they started training, including Daji’s own daughter. Some start playing at the age of seven.
Like other club members, Meena trains two hours before school and two hours after completion of class. He has to leave home at dawn and does not come back until the night.
“I’m going alone and it’s dark [in the morning]. I used to be afraid that someone could do something to me. My family was not supportive at the time and they were still not happy with my choice to become a sports woman, “she says.
But she persisted, inspired by club members who have great for years and joined the state teams or local leagues. Siddhi Chalke and Samreen Burandkar were among the first series of girls who trained at the club for about eight years. Now, at the age of 25, they are players of professional leagues and are financially independent.
At the beginning, their families thought that playing Kabaddija was the phase that would pass, and when women decided to make a career, their parents were not happy. There is still a pressure to get married, but at the same time their families are proud that women do well.
“No one in my family earns as much as I do,” Samreen says. “Now I live in a big city and bring my own choice. Coming from my community, it’s hard for girls to go after what they want. I’m here just because of Kabaddi,” she says.
Siddhi plays on the same team as Samreen – their friendship that came from Kabaddi. They traveled in India for competition, winning medals and championships. “I could only do this because of Kabaddi. Otherwise I would be married and end up at my husband who washed the dishes,” Siddhi says, and they both laugh, seemingly facilitating what they escaped from this fate.
Excellence in sports in India can also help players get a job in the public sector. Indian states highlight jobs for high success in sports, guaranteeing revenue even after players’ active sports years have been completed.
Many rural girls are involved in a dream with a dream to get financial independence through these jobs. They can also help them get more respect and a sense of identity.
“When we started a sports club, no one gave any importance to these girls. There were always secondary citizens in their homes, in society,” says Vilas Bendre, a young coach at the club.
“But we realized that when rural girls in their lives, they climb through sports, their lives change significantly. The way they talk, the way they wear, their lifestyle, everything changes.”
Even if they did not become professional athletes, many club members saw their confidence grow and persuaded their families to let them go to the university and delay marriage until they were older.
The community also became more accepting, and when they see girls exercise, people no longer frowned at them.
The club is funded by coaches, cash prizes that the team wins in competitions and occasional donations. Most girls are from poor and poor families and do not have to pay any subscription.
In addition to training in time, the club organizes and fundes housing sports camps at school in the summer, providing food such as eggs, bananas and milk, and often pays to treat player injuries.
Over time, parents’ fears have mitigated, but critics sometimes question the motives of a coach. “People say things as indirectly like.” Why don’t you train boys? “, Says Daji. But he says there are already opportunities for boys, and there is a gap when it comes to girls.
“We’re not just their coaches,” Vilas adds. “Sometimes we are their parents, leading them, disciplining them, helping them make the right choice.”
And Meena knows the potential of this valued opportunity: “I want to be the best raider and become captain of the Indian Kabaddi team,” she says, daring to dream of medals, championships and leaving the life of an ordinary village girl.
