Seven years ago, Manju Rani, a 12-year-old girl in Haryana’s Rithal village, began her boxing career with a pair of borrowed gloves and old shoes. There was no mat, air-conditioned hall, ring, physiotherapist or dietician, but she was unbothered, and would happily practice on a punching bag hanging from the tree with her coach.
On 13 October 2019, the young girl, now 19, made India proud at a global platform by bagging a silver medal (48 kgs) at the Women’s World Boxing Championships that were held in Ulan-Ude, Russia.
Earlier this year, she had won her first state championship by defeating a girl from Haryana followed by winning bronze at Thailand Open and India Open.
With the win, she has also forever inked her name in the heart of thousands of Indians who cheered for her back home.
Gracefully defeating several opponents and putting a tough fight against Russian boxer Ekaterina Paltceva in the finals in the presence of six-time World Champion, Mary Kom was nothing short of a dream for Manju.
“Mary didi is my inspiration. I have learnt a lot from her. She has several medals to her name, but when it comes to guidance and giving tips, she does not make me or any other young boxer feel that she is a senior pro. She is like a big sister to me,” said Rani in an interview to The Times of India.
With Minister of State (Independent Charge) Youth Affairs & Sports, Kiran Rijju Source: Kiren Rijiju/Twitter
After making a splendid international debut in Russia, Manju has already set her eyes on Olympic 2024 where she hopes to clinch the gold medal.
Overcoming Challenges With A Punch
Manju was only ten when she lost her father, a BSF havaldar, to liver cancer. Her mother, Ishwanti Devi, became the sole breadwinner of the family and opened a cosmetics shop to make ends meet.
Manju was a kabaddi player at that time but soon found comfort in boxing. She channelised all her emotions from losing her father by punching the bags.
“The reason to pick up a boxing glove could very well have been my father’s death, but the reason I continued to box was because I fell in love with the sport,” she told the Asian Age.
Even though there were financial constraints at home, Ishwanti never discouraged her daughter from following her passion. In fact, all the warnings and concerns from the villagers fell on deaf ears.
Interestingly, it was Ishwanti Devi who approached Sahab Singh, her late husband’s friend, with a request to train Manju.
Though a kabaddi and hockey player, he happily took Manju under his wings. He would learn first study boxing techniques and then train her on the ground he had built in the middle of his fish farm.
Manju started with local boxing tournaments and gradually worked her way up to district meets. However, she faced a tough time in getting selected for the state and was unable to make it despite trying for six years.
For almost six years she tried entering the state team, and after innumerable rejections, she even considered quitting boxing.
But her coach ‘uncle’ did not give up and encouraged her to keep persevering. The duo decided to compete from Punjab. She took admission in a Chandigarh college and started playing from there. Seeing her impressive performance during practices and tournaments, the college waived her fees and provided her free accommodation.
Manju dedicated her silver in Russia to her mother, her biggest strength and loudest cheerleader, who juggles between running her store, raising children and being there for her.
“My mother always stood behind me. From my diet to the training schedule, my mother managed everything. She never let me feel upset about not having a father or never let me worry about financial constraints,” she told the Hindustan Times.
Had it not been for Ishwanti’s encouragement, Manju journey might have been even more challenging than what it was.
We, at The Better India, salute the mother-daughter duo for setting an inspiring example for millions!
When a 24-year-old Kapil Dev walked onto the pitch, India was already four wickets down at a measly nine runs.
It wasn’t quite a last chance saloon for the Indian team, but on 8 June 1983, Dev played, arguably, the most important innings in Indian cricket history marking a turning point.
“As a player and as a commentator, [I have] never seen a better innings (than Kapil’s 175),” said Sunil Gavaskar.
It was a true captain’s innings, which funnily enough, wasn’t televised because cameras were at the match between West Indies and Australia. There was also no radio commentary of the match because employees at the BBC were on strike.
Yes, some may argue that it was just Zimbabwe, but they had already beaten the mighty Australians and weren’t to be underestimated. Just ask Sunil Gavaskar, Kris Srikkanth, Mohinder Amarnath and Sandeep Patil, who lost their wickets in quick succession to seamers Peter Rawson and Kevin Curran before the scoreboard even struck 10.
Rawson would, eight runs later, snap up Yashpal Sharma’s wicket, leaving India reeling at 17/5.
“When India lost their fifth wicket at Tunbridge Wells on Saturday morning with the score at 17, the day’s main issue appeared to concern the fate of the picnic lunches,” wrote David Lacey in The Guardian. “Was it worth fetching them from the car park or might it be better to enjoy them at leisure a little later, on the North Downs perhaps or by the sea?”
Dev and Roger Binny began the rebuilding process with a steady 60-run partnership, before the latter and Ravi Shastri lost their wickets in quick succession, leaving India at 78/7.
Through all this chaos, Dev never lost his head, slowly accumulating his runs. He reached his 50 in the 26th over, but went into high gear to smash the next 50 runs in just 10 overs.
Through this journey, he was ably assisted by Madan Lal, but it was the 126-run partnership with Syed Kirmani which saw the crowd running for cover under the barrage of sixes.
Of the 126 runs, Kirmani scored 24 runs and remained not-out. Kapil Dev, meanwhile, scored 175 of the teams 266 runs, which, among a whole host of fantastic strokes, also saw the famous ‘Natraj’ shot captured by Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh who plays the champion cricketer in his upcoming film ’83, based on India’s historic 1983 Cricket World Cup triumph.
The last 75 runs came off 38 balls, a T20-like innings more than two decades before the format had even come into existence. However, it was another shot which captured the eyes of journalists on the day.
“Of his six sixes, the best was the lofted drive that dispatched a ball from Curran to the top of the tall stand at long on,” wrote Lacey.
Despite Dev’s historic innings, the game wasn’t a foregone conclusion with Curran’s fine 73 taking Zimbabwe close. However, they eventually lost by 31 runs. Without Dev’s innings, India would have definitely lost the match. The ‘175 not out’ by Dev gave the Indian team the belief that they could overcome any adversity.
They followed up the Zimbabwe win with a crushing 118-run win against Australia, followed by a semi-final victory over hosts England.
They shocked the mighty West Indies by 43 runs in the final to win the 1983 World Cup. This triumph changed the face of Indian cricket.
It was a victory that inspired millions and gave birth to subsequent generations of Indian superstars who would embed the game into the national psyche. It was quite literally the spark that lit the fuse.
Prime Minister Indira Gandhi congratulated Dev and his men for the World Cup win with, “My slogan is ‘India can do it’. Thank you for living up to it.”
This World Cup triumph, which brought nearly every Indian together, nearly never happened.
“No one could foresee then [when India were 17/5] that a week later India would be winning the whole tournament; indeed, qualification for the semi-final was in grave doubt,” reported Wisden.
But not on Kapil Dev’s watch!
(Edited by Saiqua Sultan)
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In October 2013, Sachin Tendulkar played his last domestic match at the Chaudhary Bansi Lal Stadium near Rohtak. Among the 5,000-odd spectators in the audience was nine-year-old Shafali Verma, perched on her father’s shoulder, cheering the loudest for her favourite batsman.
Six years later, Shafali, now 15, has shattered her idol’s 30-year-old record, becoming the youngest Indian to score an international fifty. Her performance came in the first T20 international match against the West Indies in St Lucia.
Tendulkar was 16 years and 214 days when he achieved his maiden half-century (59, versus Pakistan in the second Test at Faisalabad on 23 November 1989). At 15 years and 285 days, Shafali broke her idol’s record by scoring 73 runs off 49 balls.
Born in 2004, Shafali entered the Indian squad when Mithali Raj announced her retirement in 2019. She was included in India’s Women’s Twenty20 International (WT20I) squad for their series against South Africa. Following this, she made her WT20I debut for India against South Africa on 24 September 2019.
Being inducted into the squad was not easy for her. Sanjeev Verma, her jeweller father, speaks of the struggles she endured. He would diligently take her to play against neighbouring teams during weekends. In this report, he says, “Most teams refused to play against her. They said she could get hurt and that I would complain if that happened. Even when I insisted she was my daughter and I was okay, most didn’t agree.”
Given their socio-economic background, it was uncommon for girls to step outside and play such sports. He suggests that it is frowned upon, even today. Verma’s ingenious idea to circumvent this issue was to give Shafali a haircut that made her look like a boy. This allowed her to play every weekend.
But this was not the end of her struggles. Verma adds that he would often get taunted by neighbours and relatives who discouraged Shafali from the sport. Thankfully though, he stuck to his guns and encouraged his daughter to follow her passion.
According to this report, Shafali would cycle 8 km every day to practice. She would train with boys, get hit and bruised, and continue the game. In this interview, the teenage cricketer says, “It was a struggle initially, playing against the boys. I often got hit in the helmet. On a few occasions, they even smashed my helmet grille. But there was no question of giving up.”
Shafali’s earliest inspiration was Sachin Tendulkar, who is idolised by both father and daughter. In this report, Verma says, “I have always been a Sachin fan and I made sure that I introduced her to his batting very early. We watched so many Sachin innings together.”
Just like her idol who made his international debut at 16, Shafali also made it early.
Former Indian Test opener WV Raman took to Twitter to urge people to catch Shafali’s superb innings on YouTube. His tweet read – “Folks, make it a point to watch Shefali Verma’s innings in the first T20 on YouTube. You will not regret the time spent.”
Shafali’s coach Ashwani Kumar, former Haryana opener and state team ex-coach, said in an interview, “She was just nine when she came to our Ram Narain Academy, and the girls were no match for her. So, I started playing her with the U-19 boys. She used to take the U-19 bowlers to the cleaners.”
As spectators and fans of the sport, we have a lot to look forward to. We wish Shafali Verma the best as she gears up to represent India at the T20 World Cup to be held in Australia in February-March 2020.
Nine years before Mary Kom won her fourth world championship after giving birth to twins, there was Pritam Rani Siwach, a hockey legend lying inside the maternity ward of a government hospital in Sonepat, Haryana, contemplating whether she would ever play another match after the birth of her son.
She had reason to worry. In India, watching women athletes compete at the highest level after delivering a child, was generally unheard of.
Pritam was a dynamic centre forward who led the Indian women’s hockey team to their first Asian Games final in 16 years, just a year before, and subsequently became the first woman hockey player to win the prestigious Arjuna Award.
The pain and anxiety following the birth of her son had left in her bout of self-doubt, but she took charge of the situation, began training with bricks in her family home backyard and finally made it for the Inter-Railways tournament in the following year (2000).
After a successful run in the tournament and scoring nine goals in the National Games that year, she was once picked for the Indian team. Not only did she make a comeback, but her speed, reflexes and accuracy also remained intact, playing for the Railways and the national team.
Three years after the birth of her first son, she was part of the team that won the historic gold at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, England.
For Pritam, the demands of motherhood were just another obstacle she had to overcome in her pursuit of success on the hockey field.
Two years later, after winning the Commonwealth Gold, she opened the Pritam Rani Hockey Academy in Sonipat for young girls who wanted to follow in her footsteps.
The daughter of a small farmer from Gurugram’s Jharsa village, she had to overcome not just financial limitations, but also societal norms steeped in toxic patriarchy and the petty politics of Indian sports administration, to make it in a sport she adored.
Her talent was never in question. In her first-ever national-level tournament at the age of 14, she was adjudicated as the Player of the Tournament. Her career just took off from there.
Despite retiring after the Commonwealth Games and giving birth to another child, there was a burning desire to come back once again. She competed at the 2006 nationals, playing in front of her children and setting a fantastic example.
While the tournament didn’t go as planned, the very fact that she could play at a high level after giving birth to two children and not playing competitively for four years, showed that she still had it.
In 2008, she was once again recalled to the team for the Olympic qualifiers to bring an “additional wealth of experience.” Although the team did not qualify for the tournament, Pritam went back to running her academy which today produces players for the national team.
“The current lot is blessed, Pritam feels, in terms of the facilities they get. But it’s the grass-roots academies and domestic players that are crying for attention. Barring the time they won the 2002 Commonwealth Games gold, (which translated into the Bollywood blockbuster Chak De! India years later) Pritam and her peers never really got the kind of attention and importance that today’s stars do,” writes Suprita Das, a media professional and author, for Sahapedia.
Through her academy, the 45-year-old is playing her own role in changing that dynamic. Despite not getting the attention the likes of Mary Kom got, Pritam is leaving behind a remarkable legacy, giving young girls the hope that they too can represent India one day.
Earlier this month, Sunil Ramesh Kumar, the captain of the Indian national blind cricket team led his team to a 3-0 ODI series win against their Nepalese counterparts.
If you think that is an achievement, wait till you hear his entire story.
From losing sight in his right eye when he was barely seven years old, and progressively losing sight in his other eye since, this son of daily wage workers has overcome extraordinary odds to make a name for himself.
Born on April 7, 1998, in Karnataka’s Guddadur village, Sunil grew up in extremely trying circumstances. His home had holes in the roof, was infested with rats and his daily meals included spoilt rice with pepper water.
But what kept him going was the love of his parents, who encouraged his passion for cricket.
“I have had a deep affection for the game since childhood, and even the minimal facilities couldn’t stop me from playing it everyday,” says Sunil, speaking to The Better India.
However, things changed dramatically one fine evening in 2005, during one such game.
“While trying to catch a ball, I walked into an area ridden with tall wild grass where I tripped and fell over an exposed wire, which pierced my right eye. The damage was intensive and lost sight in that eye. Initially, I didn’t know what was happening even though I was in extreme pain. Fortunately, my left eye was not hurt, but the injury did affect its performance to a large extent,” he recalls.
During the time after the horrific accident, his parents had to work on several estates in the area to not only cover the cost of treatment but also the entire rehabilitation process.
“Till Class 7, I was going to an ordinary school. As my eyesight got worse, I stopped playing cricket. Then, Jayanna Sir, our music teacher, told me about the Asha Kiran Blind Residential School for Blind Children near Chikmagalur,” recalls Sunil.
Sunil joined Asha Kiran in Class 8. There, he encountered kids playing the game and soon found himself joining in. Eventually, he met a coach, BL Goppal, who did not just recognise his immense talent but motivated him to hone it.
“I said to myself that there is nothing left for me in the past, so why not look to the future and win,” he recalls.
Rising beyond hardship
Selected to play for Karnataka blind cricket team in 2014 in the B3 category (a medical-based Paralympic classification for blind sport), he played his first game at Ramnagara, were he was adjudicated as the best batsman and fielder. From thereon Sunil went from strength to strength, racking up the runs for his state team.
Two years after making his debut for Karnataka, he was selected for the national team for the Asia Cup. The team would go onto win the tournament in style.
“Playing with all the experienced guys was fantastic. Words are not enough to describe my feelings,” he says.
His crowning moment came at the T20 Blind World Cup in January and February 2017, where he scored blistering centuries against both Australia and the West Indies. The team went onto beat Pakistan by nine wickets in the final to win the series.
“The T20 World Cup changed my life. I really made my mark there, and my performances in the tournament got me noticed,” he says.
His next big moment came during the Blind Cricket World Cup in January 2018, where India defeated Pakistan in the final.
Chasing 309 inside 39 oversat the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in UAE, Sunil top-scored for his side with a fantastic knock of 93 runs in 67 balls.
Noticing his talent for the game and ability to lead the side in high leverage moments, the officials appointed him as captain earlier this year, an honour he carries with immense pride. “My goals as a captain are to make this country proud and be an inspiration to the coming generations,” says Sunil, pride beaming through his voice.
It has been more than two decades since organised blind cricket was first played in India. The first World Cup was held in New Delhi, in 1998.
Although the broad principles are the same as compared to conventional cricket, there are differences. For one, bowling is underarm, and the bowler must call the batsman out before releasing the ball. Players are slotted into three categories—B1 (totally blind), B2 (partially blind) and B3 (partially blind).
The game isn’t easy by any stretch and players require tremendous amounts of trust, concentration to block out sounds outside the game and coordination given varying levels of vision. It’s the ultimate form of teamwork, particularly in the field where you have to focus more on what others are doing rather than yourself. Naturally, the captain’s job becomes a lot harder.
Even so, there are no significant remunerative benefits. While the Cricket Association for the Blind in India (CABI) has a sponsorship deal with IndusInd Bank, they genuinely need additional financial support. These players represent the same flag as their counterparts with sight, but don’t receive the same support.
“Yes, I have been able to support my family on a day to day basis. However, I am looking for a regular stream of income for my family. What I’m looking for is a government job. I have been promised a government job, but unfortunately, I am yet to receive any intimation in this regard. As blind cricketers, there is a lot of discrimination we face. All I wish to get is a stable job and help my family,” says Sunil.
The Government and people of India must support the likes of Sunil who have done nothing else but make the country proud. It’s the least we can do for them, given all that they have sacrificed for the country.
Receiving the ball from the flyhalf’, Sweety Kumari runs wide past the outstretched arms of the first defender, steps infield dodging a rival winger, whizzes past two more defenders who fall helplessly as she zooms past them before two more defenders attempt to bring her down. But Sweety powers through and scores a try, leaving both defenders clutching at her ankles.
It was thanks to this stunning try versus the Philippines at the Asia Rugby Women’s Championship on June 19, 2019, that Sweety, a 19-year-old explosive winger from Nawada village in Barh Tehsil of Patna, caught the rugby world’s attention.
🚀Wheels and power! Sweety Kumari is some player – check out her second try for @rugbyindia in their defeat to the Philippines! pic.twitter.com/r5bvxXwKud
The try reminded me of the first time I saw New Zealand All Blacks legend Jonah Lomu on television during the 1999 Rugby World Cup, whose speed and power often left rival defenders helplessly holding onto his T-shirt or ankles as he scored a try.
Although India lost that match to the Philippines 32-27, Sweety’s hot form carried onto the next fixture versus Singapore three days later, scoring two tries and helping India win their first-ever international women’s 15s victory with a 21-19 win.
Once again, her incredible power and speed were on display. In one instance, she left four defenders in her wake.
“The match versus Singapore was probably my favourite experience playing for India, starting from the wonderful facilities to overcoming the pressure of scoring tries and winning the match for India. It’s something I’ll never forget,” says Sweety, in an exclusive interview with The Better India.
“My favourite part of the sport is running fast with the ball in my hands, deceiving defenders with subtle movements, stepping in and out at full speed, making my opponents look silly and showcasing my ability on the pitch,” she adds.
Sweety Kumari in action. (Source: Sweety Kumari)
Even though this is a phone interview, the joy in Sweety’s voice over being selected as the “international young player of the year” by reputed women’s rugby website Scrumqueens is palpable.
“She impressed from the start, but it was this year that she started making a big impact scene in Asia at both sevens and fifteens. Described by Asia Rugby as the continent’s fastest player, her explosive pace and power has resulted in her top-scoring at most of India’s sevens tournaments, as well as scoring two outstanding tries their first ever test match win against Singapore,” wrote Scrumqueens.
Need For Speed
Growing up in a household with five sisters and two brothers, Sweety first made her mark in track and field in her early teens.
Running for her government school, district and eventually state, she ran 100m under 12 seconds during one particular track meet in Patna. However, a year after getting into track and field, she was introduced to rugby by Pankaj Kumar Jyoti, the secretary of the Bihar Rugby Association, during a state athletics meet in Siwan.
“Pankaj Sir told me that I had genuine speed, and convinced me that I would do really well in rugby. Although it doesn’t elicit major crowds today, the day isn’t far away when massive audiences will watch us play,” mentions Sweety.
“Just 14, she single-mindedly found out all she could about the game, created and organised a team, and entered the state championship. Within three years she was in the national U17 team, and last year the senior national team,” wrote Scrumqueen.
(Source: Sweety Kumari)
“Initially, all I learnt was to pass back and run forward during my first junior pre-camp. But, thanks to my coaches, I learnt how to run wide on the flanks, get past defenders and think about the game. While I am blessed with great speed, I consistently train every day to improve my running rhythm and ability to step in and out,” she says.
After playing a series of national-level tournaments, she eventually got noticed. Just two years after first picking up the game, she was selected to play for India in the Youth Olympic Asia Qualifier match in Dubai sometime around November 2017.
Interestingly, for the longest time, her parents had no idea that she was a rugby player.
“They thought I was still into athletics. However, that changed when I was selected to play for India and needed a passport to travel. In fact, my father was bemused when I told him about playing rugby. He asked me, “What is this sport?” Instead of explaining the sport and all its nuances, I told him he would one day watch me live on TV. Seeing my confidence, he helped me. Thankfully, I have received a lot of love and encouragement from my family,” she says.
(Source: Sweety Kumari)
Despite playing with real confidence, Sweety was very nervous before her debut.
“There was trepidation about how women from other nations would tackle me or use their physicality. Thankfully seniors in my team calmed me down. As I played one match after another, those fears disappeared. Today, instead of me fearing them, it’s the opposite. I have learnt how to dodge and step better, besides learning new techniques to beat these defences. This year, you will see a completely new Sweety, although the speed will remain,” she asserts.
Indian Rugby Legend in The Making
Today, she has fans around the world, particularly in the rugby-crazy Pacific Islands. Even at home, the state government has elevated rugby’s profile, offering jobs to talented players.
(Source: Sweety Kumari)
For Sweety, however, it’s all about raising India’s game on the world stage and getting girls from her village to pick up the sport.
“There are girls in my village who want to play rugby, but their parents won’t allow them to leave home and play in shorts. I have tried to explain the many advantages of playing sports at the highest level like experiencing the world outside, meeting new people, tasting different foods, visiting new countries and meeting celebrities. But some parents don’t see these benefits. They fear that their daughter might get hurt, break her foot and won’t get married,” she adds.
“India’s hopes of playing outside Asia appear limited with at least half a dozen better resourced and more experienced nations competing for Asia’s one or two spots in world tournaments…but if any one player can take her team to a higher level its Kumari,” wrote Scrumqueens.
There is no doubt that Sweety is a definite Indian rugby legend in the making!
If you were a sports aficionado growing up in 1960s Kolkata, you would have heard of the legendary Chuni Goswami. Among the most outstanding players to don the national jersey during the golden era of Indian football, Goswami was an artist on the pitch, dazzling opponents with his immaculate skill.
Aside from leading the Indian team to a gold medal in the 1962 Asian Games, he would also go on to have a second career in professional cricket, playing 46 domestic matches in the Ranji Trophy and nearly making it into the national side.
Born on 15 January 1938, in the Kishoreganj district of undivided Bengal (now Bangladesh), Subimal (Chuni) Goswami began his professional career with local giants Mohan Bagan FC in 1954 as a junior player. In college, he captained the Calcutta University teams in both football and cricket.
In his team debut for the club, he scored a goal in a 3-0 win against Eastern Railways. Just a year later, he was selected to play for the national team, filled with stalwarts like P K Banerjee, Jarnail Singh, Peter Thangaraj and Tulsidas Balaram. He would go on to represent India in 50 international matches.
Playing the striker’s position, Goswami was known for his excellent dribbling skills, ball control, passing vision and balance in possession, marked by quick body feints that left defenders searching for clues. In addition to his talents, he possessed an uncanny awareness of his position on the pitch and a thunderous shot to back it up.
All this talent was on display when he led the Indian national team to victory in the 1962 Jakarta Asian Games. In the semi-final against erstwhile South Vietnam, he scored two goals and helped India proceed to the finals.
With 1,00,000 spectators in attendance for the finals versus South Korea, the Indian team received a hostile reception. However, the team wasn’t deterred, and they went on to win 2-1 with Goswami assisting P K Banerjee for the first goal before Jarnail Singh wrapped up the tie with India’s second.
Goswami’s performance during the 1962 Asian Games turned him into a national sensation and a superstar who would soon hobnob with celebrities like Dilip Kumar, S D Burman and General J N Chaudhuri.
In fact, some reports suggest that First Division English Club Tottenham Hotspur even offered him a trial, which he declined.
“His touch, speed, intelligence and peripheral vision made him a darling of the crowd,” said former India striker and coach Subhas Bhowmick, speaking to journalist Jaydeep Basu. “He was God’s gift to football.”
In the same year, he was judged the best striker in the continent. Two years later, he led his side to a runner-up finish in the Asian Cup. However, he retired from the game in 1964 just when he was entering his prime years.
“During his stay with the Club, he captained the club in 5 seasons from 1960 to 1964. Goswami holds the distinction of leading his side Mohun Bagan to three successive Durand Cup triumphs and four successive Kolkata League wins. He holds the distinction of playing for a single club, Mohun Bagan, throughout his club career despite numerous offers from other clubs including one,” says the club website.
However, by the time he retired from football, Goswami had already become a Ranji Trophy player for his native Bengal side. A medium-pace bowler and decent batsman, his achievements on the cricket pitch were notable. In his domestic career, the Bengal all-rounder scored a notable 1,592 runs at an average of 28.42, which included one century and seven half-centuries. As a bowler, he took 47 wickets at a respectable average of 28.08 and economy rate of 2.32.
Aside from leading Bengal to the Ranji Trophy final in the 1971-72 season before losing to Bombay, his other notable achievement was defeating the West Indies on tour in 1966 while playing for the combined Central and East Zone teams during a tour game in Indore.
Taking eight wickets, he played a stellar role in dishing out an innings defeat to the West Indies led by the legendary Gary Sobers. There were many calls for his inclusion into the Indian national team, but unfortunately for Goswami, it never happened.
The postal department recently issued a stamp in his honour on his 82nd birthday. Source: Indian Football Team/Twitter
Having said that, his sporting career didn’t go unnoticed, with him receiving the Arjuna Award in 1963, and eventually, the Padma Shri in 1983. Meanwhile, the postal department recently issued a stamp in his honour on his 82nd birthday.
Following his retirement from professional sports, Goswami has maintained close ties with the game of football, while also picking up lawn tennis and hockey along the way. His career was marked by an appreciation and emphasis on high skill, whether it was cricket or football.
September 19, 2000, the day when legendary weightlifter Karnam Malleswari won the bronze medal (69 kg) in the Sydney Olympics and became the first Indian woman to win an Olympic medal, will long remain in the memory of all Indian sports fans.
“It’s a day I can never forget for three reasons. One, I missed out on the gold medal after faltering in my last attempt. I could have quite easily finished in first place. Bronze is a great achievement, but a gold medal would have been special considering how I had trained my entire life for that moment,” says Karnam Malleswari, in a conversation with The Better India.
She had faltered in her attempt to lift 137.5 kg. If she had attempted to go for 132.5 kg in her final attempt, she could have finished on top.
“Secondly, I was the only one to bring home a medal among the entire Indian contingent of the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Thanks to my efforts, we did not come back home empty-handed. Finally, I also became the first Indian woman to ever win an Olympic medal. Before my accomplishment, the general attitude towards women athletes was that participating in the Olympics was an achievement in itself. I broke that barrier. Ever since, women have gone on to garner more medals for India than our men,” she adds.
Despite the scale of her achievement, she felt a tinge of disappointment during the presentation ceremony.
“I had come to Sydney genuinely believing that I would win the gold, and was still quite sore about missing out by 2.5 kg. Moreover, the national anthem didn’t play because I had finished third, and instead, I had to stand through the Chinese national anthem. I would have been happier winning the gold and hearing our national anthem play. However, when people started celebrating my medal and began calling me, I thought to myself that this is a significant achievement as well,” she recalls.
The Early Grind
For Malleswari, the journey to the top began in 1987 at the age of 12 under the tutelage of her first coach Neelamshetty Appanna in a thatched shed in Voosavanipeta, a hamlet in Andhra Pradesh’s Srikakulam district. She started at a time when the very idea of Indian women competing in weightlifting, a traditionally male-dominated sport, wasn’t even considered.
“We were five sisters, of which four of us got into weightlifting. Fortunately, there was a gym near my school, nd all of us were blessed with strong muscles. A weightlifting coach suggested that my father, a railway constable, get his daughters into weightlifting because of our natural strength. Moreover, it would allow us to get a decent education and a government job,” she recalls.
Her father and some relatives weren’t very keen about the idea of Malleswari and her sisters competing in weightlifting.
“They would say ‘you’ll break our bones, how can you carry such weights, who would marry you’ and that weightlifting is man’s sport, among other things. But my mother stood firm. She said that if we had an interest in the sport, we should be allowed to pursue it. Her only condition was that we maintain our focus and achieve some success. In fact, during domestic competitions, my teammates and I couldn’t afford to eat out at restaurants or hotels. In the early days, my mother would come with us carrying a small gas stove and utensils. She would buy vegetables from the local market and cook for us at the hostel or dharamshala where we were lodged,” she recalls.
Malleswari was barely 15 when she began competing in international tournaments. As she progressed from state competitions to nationals, India camp and international tournaments, her focus just narrowed down to weightlifting.
“When I started weightlifting, I didn’t know I would end up winning medals. It all began with an interest in the sport, a desire to prove that women could be as strong as men and the fact that I also enjoyed doing it. Once I won gold in the Nationals and proceeded to perform well in international tournaments, that’s when I started believing that I could win medals for India,” she says.
In the beginning, she would practice for about four hours every day. Once she began competing in international competitions, her practice routines would go on for 10-12 hours for two events—snatch and clean and jerk.
Besides weight training, weightlifters have to perform different supporting muscle exercises for each muscle in their body. Also, taking a break wasn’t an option. “Say, after a competition I took a break for 10-15 days, my muscles would get loose and would have to start from scratch,” she informs.
Malleswari won her first international medal in the 1992 Asian Championships, followed by a bronze in the 54 kg division at the 1993 World Championships in Melbourne, Australia.
“However, watching these medal ceremonies and not hearing our national anthem or seeing the Indian flag flutter up high was something I wanted to change. The only way I could change that was by winning the gold in these World Championships. Even during training camps in Bengaluru, I would stare at the national flag, hoping one day it would flutter above me with pride. My hard work, dedication and perseverance helped me to become the first Indian woman to become a weightlifting World Champion in 1994 in Istanbul, Turkey,” she says.
She finished second in the competition, but the winner had failed her dope test and won the gold by default. Her critics called it luck and said that no Indian woman could become a world champion. She was determined to prove them wrong next year.
At the 1995 Weightlifting Championships in Guangzhou, China, she was the only Indian woman to win the gold in the 54 kg category while the other seven weight categories had Chinese winners. Besides winning the gold, she had also set the world record, lifting a total of 202.5 kg. When the national anthem finally played, and the Indian flag waved high, there was a deep sense of satisfaction in her heart. She was 20 and a two-time world champion.
The turning point for women’s sport in India
Malleswari retired from the sport after suffering a back injury during the 2004 Athens Olympics. But the legacy she left behind was extraordinary.
Before she won the bronze in Sydney, many didn’t even believe that Indian women could win medals in competitions like the Olympics. But her win gave hope, courage and motivation to strive for the highest peak in their respective sports.
Although, it did take 12 years for Indian women—Mary Kom and Saina Nehwal—to win the next medal, they have been bringing in more medals and laurels for India than the men. With the 2020 Tokyo Olympics around the corner, Malleswari also has high hopes for Indian women weightlifters, particularly Mirabai Chanu.
“She could have won a medal in the 2016 Rio Olympics, but buckled under the pressure. With more experience in international competitions now, I firmly believe that this time she can bring home a medal, if not the gold,” says Malleswari.
Karnam Malleswari receiving the Khel Ratna from Former President of India, late Shankar Dayal Sharma in 1995. (Source:Facebook)
Looking back, Malleswari believes that although difficulties do exist for athletes in terms of funds and infrastructure, particularly for women, things have improved dramatically.
“For example, in 1993, we wanted to compete in the World Championships, where we were sure of winning a medal. But the Indian government said they had no money to fund our trip. It was only thanks to our sponsors, the Hinduja Sports Foundation, that we managed to make it and win a medal. Today, even for competitions like the Commonwealth Games, the government encourages us to arrive at the host country two months in advance, train and adapt to the conditions. Back in our day, we would arrive a day before the competition, attend it and fly back home the following day. Today, there is a lot more support,” she says.
Training the next generation of weightlifters. (Source: Twitter)
Giving back
For the past three years, she has been running the Karnam Malleswari Foundation out of Yamunanagar in Haryana, which is involved in initiatives like giving e-rickshaws to senior citizens for their local routes and providing meals at their doorstep.
She is also on the cusp of opening a world-class weightlifting academy there, which has received financial support from the government. However, she is also looking for other sponsors. “I also continue to train young weightlifters, who have begun to win medals in domestic competitions. See, we have a lot of talent in India, but lack coaching and infrastructure. With this academy, I am hoping to bridge that deficit and produce more Olympic champions for the country,” she concludes.
1st look at the ongoing construction at Karnam Malleswari Foundation.A world class center of Sporting excellence and India’s first Weightlifting & Powerlifting academy. It will provide comprehensive infrastructure to young champions including gym & training areas.#KMFoundationpic.twitter.com/MZM74PLTkL
— Karnam Malleswari, OLY (@kmmalleswari) June 15, 2019
In the history of women’s cricket, never has a stadium sold a record-shattering 75,000 tickets! Call it a miracle or a sign, the Women’s Twenty20 World Cup has proved that cricket is no longer a male-dominated sport.
The upcoming finals will be played between India and four-time champions Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
The power-packed team, led by captain Harmanpreet Kaur, entered the finals after beating England in the semi-final.
It will be the maiden T20 World Cup final for the women in blue and what makes the match more special is that it will be held on 8 March, which is International Women’s Day.
Considering that cricket is a religion in India and the male counterparts have shown exceptional performances in the past, it is definitely a proud moment for the country to see the women shining bright.
As we move towards the much-anticipated final match, here’s a look at five cricket players who smashed gender stereotypes, overcame struggles and made everyone proud:
Rohtak-born Shafali Verma is known for her hard-hitting technique to cross all kinds of boundaries, on and off-field, but she grew up playing cricket in a region where girls were not encouraged to play outdoor games, let alone get professional training.
Refusing to give up her dream, the young girl cut her hair and disguised herself as a boy—all for the love of cricket.
Today, at 16, she is the youngest player in the Indian cricket team and is also the third-highest scorer in the World Cup.
Did you know she has broken Sachin Tendulkar’s record? Read more here.
The daughter of a cable operator, Veda Krishnamurthy, who made her debut in 2011,also comes from humble beginnings.
She moved to Bengaluru from Chikmagalur at 13 after her first coach, Irfan Sait spotted her talent. Staying away from parents alone was not easy.
After years of perseverance combined with a determination to play international cricket, Veda landed herself a secured job in the Railways.
Though she worked for the Railways, her heart always belonged to cricket. Leaving the job to pursue her dreams was probably the toughest decision she had to make.
“When it came to my career as well as my personal life, it was a huge decision that I took. A job is something you can fall back on if nothing works out. At the same time, it came to a point where I decided, ‘Not any more.’ I needed some kind of freedom, that comfort level and that happiness you get. I decided to take up what makes me happy now,” she told Sportstar.
She may be only 19, but Radha Yadav does not spare her opposition. In the cricket match between India and Sri Lanka, the Mumbai-based youngster took four wickets which helped the team reach the World Cup semi-finals.
Hailed as a bowling all-rounder, she is a left-arm spinner who started her cricketing career with a group of building boys and a tennis ball.
Like millions, she grew up watching the men’s cricket team garner laurels and dreamed of becoming a cricket player as well. But her lower-middle-class family residing in Kandivali had no means to send their daughter for professional training.
And then Praful Naik, her first coach, entered her life. She was only 12 when Naik spotted her playing gully cricket and decided that she had real talent which needed to be honed.
Naik not only took the responsibility of sending her to a school which has a cricket but team but also coached her.
Radha made her cricket debut in 2018 for the senior Indian team and has not looked back since.
The Chandigarh resident was only 7 when she started her training in cricket after her father and uncle–who were professional cricketers–identified her bowling and batting prowess and enrolled her in an academy.
Four years later, Taniya was selected for the U-19 state team and she was the youngest player at 11.
Taniya’s journey until 2015 was a steady and progressive one. She even captained the U-19 North Zone and scored an impressive 227 runs in a match. However, the next two years were difficult for her. She lost her spot in the State team, and could not play the 2017 World Cup.
As per reports, the 22-year-old fell into depression after she was unable to face the rejections, and began to wonder if her cricket career was over. However, her parents refused to give up and helped her overcome the tough time. Their support worked, and she made her ODI debut in 2018 against Sri Lanka.
Today, she is fondly referred to as ‘pocket dynamite’ by her fellow teammates.
In the ongoing World Cup, she has taken five catches and done three stumpings from just three matches. In fact, her phenomenal performance behind the stumps is the talk of the town and cricket buffs are even comparing her skills with former skipper, MS Dhoni.
Raised by a single mother, Arundhati Reddy from Hyderabad is known for her deadly bouncers and speedy deliveries.
Her first encounter with the sport was with her brother, Rohit. Like most, her career too began with playing gully cricket.
It was her mother, Bhagya, who supported her when Arundhati expressed her passion for male-dominated sport, something that is very rare to see.
“I was very good at my studies, but after I started playing professionally, my marks slipped. But not once did my mother push me to score better than other students. She has been very supportive,” she told The News Minute.
Arundhati, a fast bowler, played her first international match against Sri Lanka in September 2018. Since then she has been a constant in the team, and so far she has played 14 T20 international matches.
In a country that is filled with century-old customs that are not in favour of women, it is not easy to break ceilings. Kudos and only the best of wishes for these women in blue, whose hard work will surely take them very far in life.
Nothing gives Sneha Sharma, a professional Formula 4 race car driver and commercial pilot flying with IndiGo Airlines, a better adrenaline rush than speed.
“I was 14 when I discovered my irresistible passion for speed at a now defunct go-karting track in Powai. I had never experienced such a rush before; I felt one with the car. That is when I decided that racing is what I wanted to do with my life,” says Sneha, in a conversation with The Better India.
During her off days at school, she would spend her time at the track. However, she didn’t have access to professional training and would initially take on odd mechanic jobs and watching professional race car drivers compete.
“By the end of each day, I would see these mechanics racing with these tattered karts. I approached them to train me. They were kind enough to teach me the basics of steering, cornering, overtaking and breaking. Look, you don’t need fancy degrees or equipment to make it in life. Since racing is an expensive sport, I saved up my pocket money and whatever else I could to get some training and race a few laps on the track,” she recalls.
Sneha Sharma
Soon, she began competing in city-level races, which she won or finished on the podium. Her desire to compete professionally was ignited one fine day during practice when she saw two racing drivers.
“When I asked who they were, I was told they were national racing drivers. Seeing their poise and how they expertly maneuvered around the track inspired me. As my journey continued, I drove many races, a lot of which I would win. In one such race organized by the Times of India, I defeated many professionally trained and seasoned drivers, and also caught the eye of many important people. When I won the race, I got picked up by a national racing team, and got to compete in the national championships,” she recalls.
By the time she was 16, Sneha was studying in junior college, doing pilot ground classes and competing in races. She was obese too. To fulfil her dreams of racing, she had to reduce her weight from 90 kg to 60 kg within months because racing is an extremely demanding sport.
“The hardest part was managing my time from racing, college to flying lessons and fitness work. But I did it. My family didn’t support my dreams because they thought it was a dangerous sport and a big hindrance to my studies. Initially, they thought it was just a passing fad, but I kept at it. Sometimes I would leave my helmet outside the house, lie to my parents about where I was going and race. While sneaking out to race, I ensured that I carried my books to the track, studied between practice sessions and races,” she says.
Sneha Sharma addressing a private gathering.
Fortunately, she graduated from school with flying colours and even competed at the MRF National Karting Championship and was also the only girl to qualify for the KCT category, where only ten drivers across the country would be selected to race.
But just as she was finding her feet in the professional race car driving scene, Sneha had the chance to fulfil another long-standing passion of hers, which is flying.
At the age of 17 in 2007, she had to put down her racing helmet and put on a flying headset for her commercial pilot licence. Her family had taken loans to make this happen. It was a difficult time, and she didn’t know whether she would ever see the inside of a race car again. When she came back from the States after more than a year later, her passion for racing had not diminished in any way. In fact, she came back hungry as ever.
Until she converted her US flying licence into an Indian one in 2011, she continued to do part-time jobs at racing tracks as a mechanic, working on engines, training, maintaining accounts and loading/unloading equipment. This was rather exhausting because she had to work on other cars till the wee hours so that she could wake up the next day and race.
But 2009 turned out to be a breakthrough year for Sneha as she came back better than ever and earned a podium finish in the National Karting Championship.
Her objective has always been to venture into single-seating racing, but in 2010 she raced in the Volkswagen Polo Cup (a touring car series), followed by a stint in the Toyota Etios series before earning a top-five finish in the Mercedes young driver star programme. There, she drove her car at an astounding 270 kmph at the Buddh International Circuit, Greater Noida.
Meanwhile, by 2011 she had found a job as a commercial pilot for IndiGo airlines. Once she had a steady source of income, she decided to invest her own money into her racing career, because professional racing is a costly sport.
Sneha Sharma, the commercial pilot.
For a while, she did race under closed roofs, but the attraction of formula cars was too much to resist. Finally, she made it in the JK Tyre’s LGB category—the first step to the single-seater racing—in 2013. In her very first formula race, she finished in fourth place.
Despite her long-standing dream to drive Formula 1, she did sponsored racing events for a while and joined IndiGo as a commercial pilot. Fortunately, JK Tyres came calling, and even IndiGo came on-board, and they have been sponsoring her ever since. Today, she competes in international Formula 4 championships around the world, while as a pilot, she flies the Airbus 320 for six days a month.
“When I started racing and sometimes even today, I was the only girl on track among 22 guys. Most would hate losing to a fellow male competitor, but if they lost to me, they would add a lot of harsh statements like ‘women don’t know how to drive’. It was rough, particularly early on, but I made sure it never slowed me down. I would channel all that anger into my performance. When the helmet is on, I am not a man or woman, but a race car driver. This aggression is reflected in my driving. I am a fast driver who isn’t afraid to exploit any opening my competitors give. If I see an opportunity to race ahead, I dive in. Yes, I have had my share of injuries like hairline fractures, spinal injuries, shattered knees and even petrol burns, but that has never deterred me,” she says while describing her outlook to racing.
Sneha Sharma is breaking barriers.
It’s the same outlook that gave her a leg up in life at a time when no one gave her a chance.
Midway through climbing a 12-feet-high pole, Aarifa Bhinderwala, a Mumbai-based certified pole dancer and trainer, gracefully suspends herself upside down in a 180-degree split (also called the Dragon Tail) using her hands alone, to the tunes of O re Chorifrom Lagaan.
As the song continues, the 31-year-old beautifully transitions into a whirl with one-handed spins and pointed toes.
Watching Aarifa’s Instagram videos, you cannot help but marvel. It’s evident that what she is doing, requires her to carefully channel every bit of strength that she has, but her face shows no sign of the effort required for the task. It is relaxed; the moves delicate and executed to perfection.
This contrast is what she loves about pole dancing, and the reasons she believes that it is a perfect blend of art and sport.
“Besides being an absolutely blissful experience, pole dancing develops your full-body strength and endurance while allowing you to artistically express yourself through factors such as music and stage etiquette. It is a whole-body workout that helps develop strength, flexibility, endurance, stamina, control and balance. For me, this is the perfect blend of grit and grace which creates,a dream mid-air around an apparatus,” Aarifa tells The Better India.
Although she is miles away, it is easy to sense the child-like excitement on the phone as she speaks about her 6-year-old passion which is also her profession now.
Tracing The Roots of Pole Dancing
While Aarifa is deeply passionate about pole dancing, not everyone links it grace or spirituality, let alone think of it as a career. It is infamously synonymous with dubious bars or strip clubs.
Pole dancing’s roots can be supposedly traced to Mallkhamb, an Indian athletic sport where men bend their bodies and do stunts around a stationary pole, or even circus performances in China.
In the late 1800s, it was labelled as an ‘exotic international dance’ before it emerged as a sensual dance in strip clubs in the early 20th century. In the ’80s, pole dancing began to incorporate athletic moves, and in the ’90s a Canadian woman created the first pole training video to use in fitness exercises.
Over the last decade, it has evolved into an art form, and its popularity as a mainstream form of exercise across the globe is gradually increasing.
In fact, in October 2019, pole dancing was officially recognised as a sport by the Global Association of International Sports Federation, and it may become an Olympic sport as well.
Swirling Her Way Into An Unconventional Career
“I feel a natural affinity to this art and fitness form,” declares Aarifa before I complete my question about why she chose pole dancing.
However, the revelation that she has no background in any sport or acrobatics and that has never lifted weights comes as a surprise. “That’s the beauty about pole dancing; there are no prerequisites,” she chuckles.
Aarifa’s tryst with pole dancing began six years ago when she visited her sister in Perth, Australia. There, she came across a flyer about pole dance classes and decided to give it a try. There has been no looking back since.
‘‘I was so mesmerised by the gravity-defying tricks, strength, grace and flexibility of the trainers that I had to sign up for the course, even though I had no prior knowledge about it!”
What followed were the conditioning exercises on the pole and a lot of practice to master the moves. Turns out, dancing around an apparatus was way more challenging than Aarifa had anticipated.
Bruises and burns on underarms, palms, calves and legs due to friction with the stainless steel pole and sores from workouts became an everyday affair.
But, not once, did all such difficulties deter her. “The sense of freedom, positivity and empowerment I experienced after every class was such a high. When I did my first inversion (going upside down), I knew that it was no longer just a hobby. I wanted to do this for life,” she mentions.
For the next two years, Aarifa juggled between her Diploma in Counselling and the advanced-level course in Perth.
With each class, she mastered her moves, got stronger, more flexible and developed more control, balance and stamina. She even managed to execute incredibly advanced moves like the ‘Dragon Tail.’
“It took me weeks to learn this move; it involves a lot of strength in your back, shoulders and your core. That was certainly a milestone,” says Aarifa.
She completed her course from the ‘She Moves’ studio and went on to get training from other places in Tasmania, Sydney and Spain. When she returned to Mumbai in 2016, the first thing she did at home was to set up a pole to practice routines.
“I am incredibly grateful to my sister and parents who supported me unconditionally. My mother was the one who encouraged me to build a set up at home. So, I started my first ever business venture from my home studio,” she says.
Shedding Inhibitions & Gender Norms
At ‘Pole Burnt’, Aarifa’s Juhu studio, the classes are an amalgamation of fluid movement and hardcore exercise.
“Every week, I teach around 60 students with 8 new entries. My oldest students have finished Series (level) 5 and are starting with Series 6. As my students progress, I will add more levels.”
Aarifa started her classes with just four students, and within a month she was flooded with calls from Mumbaikars who wanted to join in.
She also gained social media fame after she appeared on ‘The Creative Indians,’ a Netflix show.
She eventually shifted to a studio, and today her classes are a hit! Over the last four years, she has taught approximately 10,000 students from all age groups (the oldest student is a 50-year-old!), body types and fitness levels.
For Aarifa, teaching this art form is profoundly gratifying not only because she helps people improve their fitness levels, but it also helped many women from varied backgrounds shed their body-related insecurities.
Many of her students have shared how they regained their confidence and self-esteem.
“Skin contact is very essential to be able to grip the pole and execute most moves on it. I’ve also witnessed so many women embrace their bodies in the whole process, because of all the challenges that their bodies have had to overcome to achieve various gravity-defying tricks on the pole bringing in a renewed sense of self-confidence. All shapes and sizes are beautiful,” she shares
Sayunkta, her student, echoes her trainer’s words. “I joined the class two years ago to get fit. I faced no backlash of any kind. When I uploaded my routine on social media, all I received was appreciation and positive feedback. Pole dancing has taught me that there is no bigger barrier than our own mind. I feel like a queen every time I climb on the pole,” she asserts.
Kabir Jain, another student, believes pole dancing has contributed to his personal growth while also keeping him fit. “It takes time to master a move and make it look easy. While having patience and perseverance is critical, it is equally important to have fun while exploring new steps.”
Apart from helping women explore their potential and get stronger, she is also breaking stereotypes with men like Kabir.
“As the word spread, there were inquiries from boys as well to learn pole, and I was happy to help! Why should any craft have a gender barrier? I now run co-ed classes as well. It is beautiful to see the healthy competition between boys and girls.”
Aarifa never thought that pole dancing was something that would pursue professionally and yet here she is helping people identify and unleash their strengths in more ways than one. So, when I ask her if pole dancing has changed her life in any way, there is a pause, before she speaks.
“My brand name ‘Pole Burnt’ signifies the transformative quality of letting one’s strengths shine through like a rising phoenix. Teaching pole is a very grounding and gratifying experience for me. There is a sense of community when people from different walks of life come together to share their struggles and celebrate their victories on the pole.”
With people like Aarifa taking the charge to bring unconventional professions to the mainstream, it is inevitable that years of societal conditioning and norms are slowly coming undone. And that is always a good thing.
You can follow Aarifa’s epic journey of pole dancing here.
There have been two definitive moments in the nascent cricketing career of Techi Doria, the diminutive and dreadlocked opening batsman from Arunachal Pradesh. The first arrived on 21 September 2018, in Vadodara’s Moti Baug cricket stadium, where he became the first player from the state to score a century at any level.
The celebrations that ensued included performing a series of acrobatic jumps and a moment where he almost hugged the umpire in sheer delight. He went onto score a sensational 122 against Sikkim in a Vijay Hazare Trophy league match, and Arunachal went on to win the match by 49 runs. “I danced like a crazy man that day,” he says.
Techi Doria
The second moment arrived nearly two months later on 20 November 2018, in Goalpara, Assam, during a Ranji Trophy match against Uttarakhand.
Scoring 60 runs in 246 balls in a hard-fought second innings performance, he played in a manner that went completely against his instinct as an aggressive T20 batsman. Although Arunachal lost that match by an innings and 73 runs, he insists that it was an innings that he will never forget.
Here’s the reason why.
After a protracted legal battle, in July 2018, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) granted the Arunachal Pradesh Cricket Association full member status. This meant the state could also now have their own team in the Ranji Trophy and other domestic tournaments organised by the BCCI. Consequently, the team made its senior-level debut in the 2018–19 season.
“Since we were new entrants into the Ranji Trophy tournament, the Uttarakhand team was confident of winning the game in less than three days. The team had even booked their return tickets before noon on the third day of a four-day match. I was furious when I got to know this, as it was a blatant show of disrespect. How could they underestimate us in such a manner,” he recalls.
So, once Doria got into bat on the morning of Day 3, he vowed to play a long innings and only got out very late in the day.
“During my innings, I could see the Uttarakhand team getting visibly frustrated. Rajat Bhatia, a veteran of the domestic cricket circuit and captain even hurled abuses at everyone. I eventually lost my wicket through a run-out. Although the game finished by the very end of Day 3, my innings played a part in ensuring they missed their return trip back on that day,” he says.
Bob Marley of Indian Cricket
Search the name ‘Techi Doria’ on Google, and the first results will make references to the ‘Bob Marley of Indian cricket’.
The only link between the cricketer and the legendary Jamaican artist are the lush dreadlocks that flow well below the shoulder. It was during a local match a couple of years ago, when someone in the crowd started chanting ‘Bob Marley’ when he entered to bat.
The name had initially irritated him, but upon researching more about the singer-songwriter, he understood about the respect it garnered.
Doria is a hip-hop fan with a special affinity to a dance form associated with this urban musical genre called breakdancing or b-boying. Before he dedicated his life to the game of cricket full time in 2014-15, he was part of a dance group that won many competitions locally and performed in front of thousands of people. He had even featured in a couple of local movies.
“But cricket is my true passion, and I gave up everything else to truly focus on the game,” he asserts.
Growing up in Naharlagun, a town situated on the foothills of the Himalayas in Arunachal Pradesh’s Papum Pare district, the 26-year-old batting all-rounder learnt the game by watching his heroes on television. And like millions before him, Doria grew up idolising Sachin Tendulkar.
“My first inspiration to play the game of cricket was Sachin Tendulkar. He inspired me for two specific reasons—his style of batting and his humble, yet confident nature. I want to emulate his game and personality off the field,” says Doria.
However, it was only in Class 8 as a 13-year-old when he started playing the game with greater seriousness. Before, he would watch others play, particularly his elder brother Techi Tahim, who also played in the state Ranji Trophy side for one season (2018/19).
“My elder brother inspired me to take up the game. He would play big tournaments in the state. Seeing him, I thought if he could play at that level, so could I. For the most part, however, I learnt the game on television,” he recalls.
Doria began playing only in Class 8 because until then he couldn’t get into the school team. His undeniable talent soon caught the eyes of local cricketing aficionados, playing across all age groups in the state before finally making his way into the senior state team. For those who haven’t seen him play, Doria is an athletic batting all-rounder who bowls leg-spin.
“I am a naturally aggressive batsman who likes playing the big shots because of my greater exposure to T20 cricket, but over time I have learnt how to play in a game-sensitive manner. If the situation demands I play big shots, but if my team needs me to hold onto my wicket I can play cautiously as well. My bowling also follows the same instinct. Nonetheless, my focus is more on batting. My favourite format of the game is T20, although my love for ODI cricket is growing. The transition from playing T20 to ODI is easier than playing the 4-day Test match format of Ranji Trophy games,” he says.
Former Indian team fast bowler, Sanjeev Sharma, who has coached different teams in the last 15 years and is the current coach of the Arunachal team, is all praises for his player.
“I was the Sikkim coach, when he scored that wonderful century. Doria is a very promising player, although this year, his performances with the bat have dropped a little. But a few umpiring decisions on the field have gone against him as well. We have seen great improvement in his bowling. Doria’s biggest strength is his temperament. If he starts confidently by defending a few deliveries, he can occupy the crease for a couple of hours. He has taken some absolutely brilliant catches and is a fantastic fielder. His biggest weakness is against spinners, particularly left arm spinners, which will improve by working on defense and footwork. If you’re a good four-day player, you can survive all formats.”
Even Doria acknowledges that playing four-day matches is a tricky proposition, particularly when he plays against quality spin bowling. However, even though the Arunachal team is new to the test match format, under Sharma’s tutelage, it has witnessed some improvement since the 2018-19 season, particularly in the longer formats.
“Our focus is on strengthening the technical foundations of our game. There are very few players in the state with genuinely good technique whether it comes to batting, bowling or fielding. In the next two-three years, we hope to develop our technical skills significantly. Meanwhile, there is a greater emphasis on developing talent in the state across various age groups, and women’s cricket is receiving real encouragement as well,” mentions Doria.
In addition to team meetings and practice sessions, the Arunachal coach believes that his players should at least be involved in camps lasting 10-15 days before tournaments. This includes both conditioning and technical camps.
“For these boys to play tournaments like Vijay Hazare, Syed Mushtaq and Ranji Trophy is not going to be easy. They need proper summer camps before the season begins, playing in conditions like Chennai, Delhi and Bengaluru to get their requisite exposure. Our last camp in Dibrugarh, Assam, lasted only seven days, of which three were lost to rain. Following the camp, we straightaway competed in a challenging Vijay Hazare Trophy in Dehradun, where we finished above Sikkim, Manipur and Mizoram,” mentions Sharma.
“Ideally, there should be a two-week camp, followed by a short break where they go home, and then another two-week camp before the start of a major tournament. It would be very good for these boys so that they are better prepared for the upcoming season,” he adds.
Nonetheless, he compliments the management for fulfilling their financial obligations to the players and support staff in a professional and timely manner.
For the 26-year-old son of a farmer, the ultimate objective is to play in the Indian Premier League. At no point in his life have his parents told him to stop pursuing his dreams of playing cricket under the bright lights.
But merely playing domestic cricket for Arunachal Pradesh has its limitations financially, although that doesn’t seem to bother Doria too much.
Unlike other athletes in the Northeast who support their sporting ambition by getting a government job, he wants to constantly remain in touch with the game whether it’s in a playing or coaching capacity.
“There is enough money. I don’t want to do another job to supplement my income despite tensions that I may not be able to play sports all my life. But I want to play cricket till the day I die because that is where my happiness comes from. After attending a Northeast coaches training camp in 2017, I started my cricket academy, which trains players from all junior age groups. At present, there are nearly 100 players enrolled in my academy,” he says.
Training the next generation.
Pre-lockdown, he was up at 5 am every day, spending a couple of hours at his academy in Naharlagun before setting off to Itanagar 13 km away to coach at another batch of youngsters. Although the coaching gig only pays him around Rs 8,000 per month, his passion for nurturing the next batch of talented youngsters is unmatched.
“There is a lot of talent in Arunachal, and we must harness it,” he says.
There is still some way to go before the diminutive Doria fulfils his professional goals. Maybe, he fulfils them, maybe he doesn’t. But what we can say for certain is that his dedication to the game and desire to nurture it in the state will never diminish.
Growing up during the late 1990s, in Irengbam, a small village situated in Manipur’s Bishnupur district, Ngangom Bala Devi was a regular presence on the local football field. Encouraged by her father, a former player, and her elder brother, this talented girl would go toe to toe against the local boys and beat them. Yes, there was the odd disparaging comment, but it only added further fuel to the fire within this prodigiously gifted athlete.
“My father, an ex-player, and my brother encouraged me to play football from a young age. I must have first kicked a football when I was 4 or 5 years old. But it was in 2002 when I fell in love with the game after watching Brazilian stars Ronaldo and Ronaldinho in the World Cup,” said Bala, during a conversation with The Better India (TBI) in late February.
More than two decades later and barely a week before her 30th birthday on 29 January 2020, Glasgow-based Scottish giants Rangers Football Club (FC) announced that they had signed her on an 18-month contract.
Bala Devi had made history. With the move official, she had become the first Indian woman to become a professional footballer and sign a contract with a European club.
“To play my football in Europe with one of the biggest clubs in the world is something I could never have dreamed of. I hope my move to Rangers serves as an example to all the women footballers back home in India who dream of taking up the sport professionally,” said Bala Devi, in a conversation with the in-house club website.
Bala Devi, the first Indian woman football player to sign a professional contract with a European club. (Source: Facebook)
Early Years
Bala Devi was barely 11 years old, when she joined a local girl’s football club, ICSA, and began competing in district-level matches. But the centre forward’s ability stood way above her peers. Bala was barely 12 when she was first considered to play for the Under-19 women’s national team. However, she was deemed too young and was asked to come back after turning 14. At age 15, she played for the Under-15, Under-19 and the senior women’s national team as well.
The trajectory of Bala’s early career mirrored that of her idol Oinam Bembem Devi, the Padma Shri-award winning midfielder from Manipur, who also made her debut for the senior team at 15. Bembem would go on to carry Indian women’s football on her sturdy shoulders for over two decades before playing her last national team match in 2016.
Following a short stint in an Imphal club, Bala Devi joined the Manipur Police Sports Club, a team that also produced Bembem Devi. She played for them semi-professionally and worked as a policewoman for the Manipur Police Department until her move to Rangers FC.
The presence of phenomenal players like Bembem and Bala ensured that Manipur’s women team ended up winning 20 of the 25 national championships held since 1991.
Playing for the national team, Bala has scored a sensational 52 goals in 58 appearances since 2010, which also makes her the top international goalscorer in South Asia.
Top-scoring in the Hero Indian Women’s League for the past two seasons, she has also earned the All India Football Federation (AIFF) Women’s Player of the Year award twice in 2015 and 2016. She has also served as her national team captain in a distinguished international career. During her stint with the national side, she has won the SAFF Women’s Championship (also known as South Asian Football Federation Women’s Cup) three times (2010, 2014 and 2016) and three gold medals (2010, 2016 and 2019) in the South Asian Games as well.
Representing India. Bala Devi Jersey No. 10 (Source: Facebook/Bala Devi)
Style of Play, Pure Talent & India’s best Woman Footballer
Addressing the press on the day Bala was signed, Amy McDonald, the Rangers Women’s and Girls’ Football Manager, described her game as a “playmaker who likes to play as a number 10” who they believe will contribute goals and assists to the team.” She duly delivered in her debut match versus Hearts on 23 February, with first assist for the club playing a deft one-two pass with 18-year-old striker Megan Bell.
“Coming from a humble background in rural Manipur, Bala has an incredible work ethic. She has been playing for the national team since she was 15, and is known for her speed, athleticism, game intelligence and skill. She made her mark playing the centre forward position banging in the goals. However, in the past few years, her vision and game intelligence has also developed significantly and as a result she has withdrawn to a more attacking or central midfielder role. From these positions, she can control the game better and bring more of her teammates into play. At Rangers, she is playing both a centre forward and attacking midfield roles,” says Anuj Kichlu, her representative, speaking to TBI.
Like Kichlu, who has known about her talent since 2007/08, former Indian men’s team player and mentor Renedy Singh is all praises for his fellow Manipuri’s ability.
“For years, I had heard about Bala Devi’s talent on the field. Although our women’s game has been neglected for many years, she always stood out for the number of goals scored during competitions like the SAFF Women’s Championships. Although those in the national setup knew of her talent, other casual viewers knew nothing because of how little they cared for the women’s game. But I saw Bala Devi play for the first time in the flesh during an exhibition game at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai, which was held in the run up to the 2017 FIFA Under-17 World Cup in India,” he recalls.
Legends of the international game including Carlos Valderrama, Fernando Morientes, Marcel Desailly, Jorge Campos and Emmanuel Amuneke took on a mixed gendered Indian contingent which included Singh, Steven Dias, Bembem Devi and Bala Devi in the five-a-side game. The Indian contingent won the match 5-4.
“Bala came on for a couple of minutes, scored two goals and that’s when I truly understood her level of talent. Her skill and ability really stood out,” adds Singh.
Banging in the goals during the Indian Women’s League. (Source: Facebook/Bala Devi)
Move to Rangers
Anuj Kichlu, a sports agent working out of Mumbai, Kolkata and Madrid, was in Manipur at the time and looking for Bala.
“Anuj had always wanted to do something for women’s football in India. He felt that with greater exposure abroad talented women players in India could really develop their game and what better way to start than Bala. I introduced Bala to Anuj, following which the two of them had a conversation,” says Renedy.
“During our discussions, we decided that to explore options for Bala to play professional football abroad full-time and pave the way for other Indian players as well,” says Anuj, recalling his meeting with her.
From that moment forward, Bala expressed her desire to play in a top European club, and the best way to approach that was to obtain a trial. Unlike the ISL for the men’s game, there was very little attention for women’s football.
There are two aspects of how the deal with Rangers FC came to fruition. It first began with the Indian women’s team participation in the COTIF Cup 2019 in Valencia (Spain) in July where they played four games. Winning against Bolivia (7-0) and Mauritania (3-1) and losing two against Spanish club Villarreal (0-2) and Spain Under-19 (0-2).
Playing in these matches, Bala impressed and was selected in the team of the tournament. After the tournament, club sides from Sweden, Spain and Norway had approached her but none of them came up with a concrete offer. Nonetheless, she was on their radar.
The second aspect of this transfer involves Bengaluru FC, which forged a partnership with Rangers FC in September last year. While senior Bengaluru FC officials were in Scotland for the announcement of a tie up, they had some discussions with Rangers’ Women’s and Girls’ Football Manager Amy McDonald. Since the club does not have a women’s team, they thought about sending someone from the Indian women’s national team for a trial.
Upon their return to India, Bengaluru FC officials felt Bala Devi was the best possible candidate. Also, Rangers were looking to further develop their women’s team, seeking talent from around the world. Ranked 55 in the world, they thought India has a decent national women’s team, and maybe getting their top player onboard could be a real possibility.
Bala Devi in action. (Source: Facebook/Bala Devi)
“Rangers agreed to take a look at Bala Devi, watching her game up close. She did really well in her trials there in November, and the club offered her a 18-month contract,” says Anuj.
During her trial, she scored twice in one of the games they played among fellow Rangers players.
However, there was another element to the transfer. Due to the Indian women’s football team’s FIFA ranking outside the top-40, she did not automatically fulfill the eligibility criteria to play in the United Kingdom. The eligibility rules state that the player’s country must rank within the top-40 and that she has had to play 75 per cent or more of the national team’s games in the past two years. She didn’t fulfill the first criteria.
Fortunately, a six-member panel to the Scottish Football Association (SFA) granted Bala the UK work permit on a special exemption after the Rangers FC team presented their case and members of the Indian football fraternity including AIFF president Praful Patel, Indian women’s team coach Maymol Rocky, Bembem Devi, Bhaichung Bhutia, Renedy Singh, and the current national team captain Sunil Chhetri, all wrote recommendation letters.
After all the paperwork was sorted out, the transfer was finalised on 29 January.
What does her transfer to Rangers FC mean?
“Bala’s move to a big European club is such an inspiration to women not only in Manipur and Northeast, but all over India. I want her to play week-in and week-out and do well so that players here can get inspired. She is a pioneer for the women’s game in India,” says Singh.
More importantly, however, playing full-time professionally at a serious European club will give her the opportunity to play around the year. The current league runs from February to November with matches scheduled regularly in addition to Cup competitions unlike India where the Indian Women’s League runs for just three weeks.
“Unlike the men’s game, which has regular club matches through the I-League and ISL during the course of a year, the women’s league in India barely extends to a month. Many state associations run grassroots programs, but it’s only for a month. What are the players expected to do for the next 10-11 months? Where is their development happening? If you don’t have the money for eight months, do it for four or five at least,” says Singh.
Moreover, unlike the men playing ISL, who are exposed to the professional game and regularly train with quality international players, the women enjoy no such advantages.
“No Indian woman has ever played professionally. For women’s football in India, the set up has been semi-professional with the girls playing also having full time jobs with the government. No woman earns their living playing football full time. Not only does this move help her financially, but it also gives other women in the country an opportunity to compare their standards against European players. The feedback I received is that Indian players are not necessarily weaker, but that they lack regular training and exposure,” he adds.
Moreover, Indian women have not been able to play regularly throughout the year. It’s one thing to get exposure playing for your national team, but another proposition altogether playing 30-odd matches across a ten-month season. “Based on where she stands with other players there, other women players in India can gauge their quality levels as well. She will be the benchmark for Indian women’s football for the next decade,” says Singh.
“Hopefully this move will open up opportunities for other players from India to come here and play. Of course, it depends how I play this season and do during my stint in Europe. I hope many can follow me in the future. We have the skills but do not have the exposure,” says Bala.
Unfortunately for Bala, the COVID-19 pandemic-induced lockdown has, for the time being, put brakes on a promising season. But Anuj doesn’t believe the lockdown will have a significant bearing on her contract or career with the Rangers.
“Unlike the packed men’s schedule that was scheduled to finish by the end of May, the women’s league ends in November. So, there is still time to complete the season and adjust the fixtures,” he says. Meanwhile, in terms of her living situation, it has been an adjustment, particularly the language and understanding the Scottish accent. For the most part, however, she seems to have adjusted well to life in Scotland.
If Bala Devi succeeds in her stint with Rangers FC, it could be a massive turning point for the women’s game in India. Her success there could give the women’s game the necessary attention it deserves.
Watching Darren Sammy, a former West Indies cricket captain, articulate his grave disappointment at how his teammates from the IPL franchise, Sunrisers Hyderabad, nicknamed him and Sri Lankan all-rounder, Thisara Perara, ‘kalu’ during the 2013/14 season, was disheartening to say the least.
The term is often used pejoratively to describe people with dark skin, and Sammy opened up about the experience on Instagram.
Until he listened to stand-up comedian Hasan Minhaj’s 12-minute videocalling for the Asian community in the United States to rally around the African American community, Sammy didn’t know calling someone ‘kalu’ or ‘kala’ was used to describe a person of colour and “not in a good way.” He thought that the word meant “a strong stallion.”
Many have questioned the ‘timing’ of Sammy’s outburst. Why didn’t he file a complaint then? Why is he raising this issue six years later?
Well, apart from the fact that there is no statute of limitations on calling out what people in most countries would consider racist conduct, there was no scope for filing a complaint—he didn’t know what was going on.
As Sammy says in an interview with ESPNcricinfo, “It’s only because now I have information that I was being called a word that was degrading, that’s why I am talking about it now. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned: every time you are talking about the right things, anytime is the right time.”
With that out of the way, let’s delve into the bigger underlying issues here.
When Sammy posted his video on Twitter, many Indian fans reacted by saying that this isn’t a big deal because we refer to many by their physical appearances like ‘lambu’ or ‘motu’—tall and fat. In some cases, they add, it’s a term of endearment for family members or friends of a darker skin tone.
I do not agree, and here, ‘intent’ doesn’t matter. None of these excuses wash in front of what we all know to be one of the most insidious practices around the world—colourism.
Sociologists, anthropologists, political commentators, sports personalities and many others have written thousands of column inches about the problems associated with elevating whiteness/fairness and downgrading dark skin. The preference for white or fair skin has been propagated through mainstream cinema, religious iconography and, of course, language.
Just watch legendary boxer and civil rights activist Muhammad Ali break down the connotations associated with “white” and “dark.” Or, simply play a word association game with both ‘kala’ and ‘gora’ and compare the results.
It will tell you everything you need to know.
In the Indian context, you can understand the phenomena of colourism through the lens of colonial subjugation, centuries of caste based discrimination and just plain xenophobia against people from different parts of the country.
Colourism is a disease that cuts across caste, class, gender and religion. Just look at our matrimonial ads. Also, referring to someone merely by their physical attributes sets a platform for behaviour that can be horribly toxic. Look at how many children, particularly girls, are mentally scarred by the constant name-calling associated with fat-shaming.
So, can we deem the use of words like ‘kalu’ to describe people of dark skin tone as ‘racist’?
The person first credited with using the term ‘colourism’ was celebrated African American author Alice Walker in an essay that appeared in her 1983 book, ‘In Search of our Mothers’ Gardens.’ She defined it as “prejudicial or preferential treatment of same-race people based solely on their color.”
Although, she defined it in the context of light-skin preference in the African-American community subjected to generations of slavery and institutional racism, it’s imperative to note that “if racism didn’t exist, a discussion about varying skin hues would simply be a conversation about aesthetics,” writes Professor Lori L Tharps for Time Magazine.
But that’s not the case at all.
We know the advantages or disadvantages of being associated by the colour of your skin whether in terms of job, educational and social opportunities. Light skin has a clear and distinct privilege over dark skin and that’s just a fact.
So, while calling someone ‘kalu’ in the subcontinent may not feel racist in the way say as in the Caribbean or the United States, the word is loaded with some of the worst features of racism.
It’s dehumanising, discriminatory, derogatory and particularly pernicious under the guise of humour or endearment. In fact, racist conduct under the veneer of ‘humour’ or ‘banter’ is often worse than outright racism. It’s normalised all too easily and thus spreads more than outright racist behavior or language.
Therefore, instead of finding excuses or complaining about Sammy raising his voice, we must learn to be more empathetic. We are living in a time when a police officer in the United States murdered a man based on the colour of his skin without any fear of the consequences.
Back home, it’s no surprise that African nationals studying and working in India are subject some of the worst racial profiling anywhere in the world, and have suffered immensely.
So, maybe when a man like Darren Sammy is imploring his former teammates on his IPL franchise to reflect and talk to him about their behaviour, it would be a great idea to listen.
It will take many years of education, sensitisation and awareness to rid the scourge of colourism and racism in India, but we need to make a start.
Bikash Chowdhury has lived quite an extraordinary life. Born to an impoverished family in Bhowanipore, Kolkata, he persevered through abject poverty and consequent hardships. His family resided in a streetside hut, adjacent to which his father ran his laundry stall. Today, he is the Head Treasury of JSW Steel. A meteoric rise.
“I believe I am here today because my ‘parents’ had faith in me. Their advice would guide me at every step of my life,” he tells The Better India (TBI).
The ‘parents’ he is talking about are Arun Lal, the former Indian cricketer and his wife, Debjani Lal.
Bikash shares an exceptional bond with the former cricketer. Unknown to many, back in the early 1990s, Arun and Debjani showered their love and care on Bikash, the teenage son of their washerman.
With their support, Bikash overcame all hurdles in life to emerge at the pinnacle of success today. Today, he admits to being fortunate enough to have two sets of parents: “My biological parents, and of course, the Lals.”
Bikash Chowdhury who is like a son to Arun Lal
Bonding Over Orange Squash
As a child, Bikash used to play football with his friends at the local park where Arun would come every day to give cricket coaching to a bunch of youngsters. As a young boy of 12, he would also accompany his father often while visiting the Lals, to get their clothes for washing. It was during one such visit that Arun’s wife Debjani inquired Bikash about his studies and offered to help him with English lessons. Thus was the start of a permanent bond.
“My prime attraction was orange squash,” laughs Bikash. His English lessons at the Lals almost always happened over a glass of the tangy drink. He started visiting them more and more yearning for a glass of that simple orange delicacy, while the Lals, who do not have a child of their own, started looking upon him as a son.
Arun Lal was at the peak of his cricket career at that time, but he always made sure to make time for Bikash.
“He taught me the core values of life. At every step, he inspired me to be a better person. Without their help, I would not be standing where I am today,” Bikash shares with a hint of emotion in his voice.
A Reality Check
From once or twice a week, the frequency of Bikash’s visits increased to almost every day. Debjani and Arun always welcomed him, offering him support, care and guidance throughout. And it was not just in academics where he received their help.
“I was intensely passionate about football. I was quite good at the sport where I played as a midfielder. At one point, I was determined to pursue football as my career. I even played in Junior East Bengal, one of the first division clubs in Kolkata,” he shares. It was Arun who gave Bikash the most important and relevant piece of advice. Despite hailing from a sports background himself, Arun did not encourage him to follow his passion on the soccer field. Instead, like a guide, he made him aware of the challenges of a sporting career and dissuaded him from taking a hasty decision which he might regret later. A career in football in India did not look so appealing at the time. Arun apprised Bikash how a sudden injury can throw his entire career off the rails at any moment. He also shared the little known hardships that affect a sportsperson’s life. Weighing all the pros and cons of Arun’s advice, Bikash decided to focus on his studies and let go of his obsession with football. He was reasonably good in academics, and with guidance from the Lals, he aced his 10th Boards with an impressive 92 per cent marks.
An Amazing Academic Journey
The latter part of Bikash’s academic journey is equally inspiring. After completing his schooling, in 1995, he secured admission to St. Xavier’s College in Kolkata to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce, and graduated in 1998. During that time, Bikash worked part-time with a travel agency and also took tuitions to earn money for his family. “My education was completely funded by the Lals who had become my own family by then. So whatever I earned I gave entirely to my biological family. It helped fund the education of my two younger sisters.” The ex-cricketer also proposed to finance the education of Bikash’s sisters, but Bikash politely turned down the offer feeling that it would be too much on them. They were residing in a small rented apartment back then, which was a renovated garage.
Arun Lal
But, their generosity pervaded beyond their struggles.
After pursuing his M.Com, Bikash got through IIM-Calcutta in 2002. Cracking his way in the premier institution was no cakewalk, but Bikash proved his mettle with dedication and hard work. Arun also financed his two-year MBA course at IIM.
“He inspires me to be a better person”
“I was offered a summer internship at Deutsche Bank in London, but I decided to stay back in India for my parents — both sets of them.” In 2009, Bikash Chowdhury joined HDFC Bank, and in another five years, he started his career at JSW Steel.
There were social obstacles, indeed. It took Bikash a long time to get socially accepted. People would often make fun of his social status or sneered at his relationship with the Lals. But for him, only one thing mattered. “As long as they believed in me, and I believed in them, nothing else mattered. I feel grateful that he accepted me as their son despite my humble background,” he says.
Arun proudly introduces him as his son in his inner social circle. Bikash even fondly refers to him as ‘Piggy’ — a nickname given to Arun by his sister for his voracious appetite.
Having A Little Faith Goes A Long Way
Whenever someone expresses their shock and surprise about Bikash’s meteoric career trajectory, Debjani has only one thing to say — “Because he has the brains”. She adds that their financial or social background should never adjudge a person’s capability.
“He has the intelligence; he doesn’t have the opportunity. If I can bridge that gap, I will do it” — such was the attitude of Arun towards Bikash. Today, he is a ‘father’ who is incredibly proud of his ‘son’. Recently, Bikash even presented the couple with a brand new Mercedes Benz.
In January 2016, Arun was diagnosed with rare jaw cancer. His condition was quite concerning and even the doctors prayed for a miracle. But, the gritty batsman persisted. Today, he has defeated the deadly disease and is slowly returning to a healthy life.
Hardly a day goes by that Bikash does not call to check upon him. Bikash still makes sure to visit them around five or six times a year, every time he is in Kolkata. Arun returns the favour by dropping in at Bikash’s Mumbai home every time he is in the city.
When asked about how he feels today about the challenges he once endured in life, Bikash Chowdhury smiles. “I can go about listing 20,000 challenges. But, I would prefer to look at the better side — the love, care and support that I have received. I have named my daughter Arunima after him. I thought it was fair to offer this tribute to my ‘father’ — Arun Lal.”
I love Squash and have been playing for many years. For those who may not know, Squash is a racket and ball game played inside four walls. Two players usually play a game. The idea is to bounce the ball off a wall, in such a manner that the other player cannot strike it as it returns. If they miss, you get the point. If they hit the ball, they do the same thing – bounce it off a wall towards you.
(Feature Image (Representative):Karim Darwish plays Saurav Ghosal at the quarterfinals of the CIMB KL Open Championship 2011 on March 18, 2011, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.)
The game is believed to have originated in Harrows School For Boys, London, sometime in the 1830s. A similar game of rackets, played with a stiff ball, was already in existence at the time. But the boys realised it was more fun to use a punctured rubber ball, which erratically bounced when it was whacked into a wall at high speed with a racket. The ball ‘squashed’ on impact – making it more unpredictable.
This game has been growing in popularity around the world, and currently some 20 million ‘jubes’ officially play the game around the world. And I am one of them. Indeed, I love it so much, that at the age of 37, much to the utter confusion of my family, I started learning the sport from one of the best promoters of the game in India – Vijay Kumar Goel.
For over 20 years, he has contributed to the sport in the country. His efforts have not only helped bring out the best squash talent in India, but his initiatives have also given direction to many talented young people who come from rural backgrounds. And it all began in a sugar mill!
Here’s how it all began.
Dhampur Sugar Mills was set in 1933 by and has operated ever since. It is one of the leading sugar producers of the nation. A chemical engineer, Vijay Kumar Goel has been a Promoter Director of the Dhampur Sugar Mills since the 1960s and is an above-average Squash player himself.
However, the game didn’t dominate the mill until the 1990s, when his son Gautam began playing Squash in a court within the mill’s compound. Eager to help his son develop in the game, Vijay Kumar hired Shyam Lal as a coach. Shyam Lal had been in the Armed forces and was one of the top three national-level Squash players in India at the time.
This simple coaching, begun by a fond father for a son, would go far. As the years progressed, Goel would grow from being a leader in the sugar industry and attentive father to one of the biggest promoters of the sport, and thus ‘Dhampur Sugar Mills’ has become among the best Squash academies in the country.
(Years later, Lal also supported the Hamdard Education Society in Delhi to develop sporting talent there as well.)
Goel’s help comes in many forms for young talent. He supports the various academies in Dhampur, of course. But that aside he also provides needy players accommodation in Delhi should they go there to play tournaments. Along with that, he arranges for the dietary and other requirements, pays the participation costs for crucial matches and provides financial assistance to exceptional players.
During my conversation with him for The Better India, he credited young squash players for his support, with whom he appeared to maintain a close mentorship role. Their simplicity, dedication, and commitment to the game galvanised him, he said.
He also stressed how he endeavoured to keep freedom, equality and respect at the core of all interactions, irrespective of age, gender, religion or position. This attitude seemed to reflect in the squash players he has supported as well. They might come from small towns, or be from any background. But they were all equally ferocious on a Squash court.
Here’s a sample list of some of the academy’s graduates:
Kush Kumar: Won Gold in the Asian Youth Games, Bronze in the World Juniors, Gold in the South Asian Games; won the National Championship (Junior) 9 times.
Ravi Dixit: Won Gold in the Asian Junior Championship, Gold in the Malaysian Junior Open and Gold in the South Asian Games.
Parmeet Singh: Won Silver in the Asian Junior Team Championship; Bronze in the Qatar Team Championship; Won the National Championship (Professional) 6 times.
Ranjit Singh: Won Gold and Bronze in various Asian Junior Team Championships.
Abdur Rahmaan: Highest National Ranking (Men’s) – 9; Winner of All India Inter-University Men’s Championship as part of the Delhi University.
Amjad Ali Khan: Highest National Ranking (Men’s) – 6; Gold Medal, National Inter-State Team Championship; Multiple Times Winner of the Uttar Pradesh State Championship.
Sajid Hussain: Represented India in the Qatar Team Games; Represented Delhi State at Nationals and won Gold. Won Haryana State Championship; 2 times medalist at All India Inter-University Games.
Diwaker Singh: Highest India Ranking (Juniors) – 2. He has represented India twice – during matches in Britain and Tamil Nadu.
Khushboo Naseem: Highest India Ranking (Girls) – 2, Asia Ranking (Under 11) – 5; Currently ranked 9th in the Girls Under 15 category.
Indeed, Amjad Khan even returned to the academy as a coach and is considered instrumental in continuing the academy’s tradition of bringing out the best talent at national and international levels.
At the Dhampur academy, Goel was also impressed by player Amjad Khan, who also became a coach at this new academy in Delhi. All this was instrumental in bringing out talent and preparing players to compete at the national and international levels.
Many of those who don’t play professionally now have gone on to set up their academies – that have trained current and upcoming champions.
In sum, Goel’s attention has helped Squash develop an entire eco-system in India over the decades, a rarity for a sport that is not Cricket, Football or Hockey. And it is incredible to think, it all began in a sugar mill!
(Story By: Akhil Kishore. Edited by Vinayak Hegde)
In 1993, after the Chicago Bulls won their third consecutive NBA title, Michael Jordan announced his retirement. It would be the first of his three retirements. After a couple of years playing baseball in the minor league for the Chicago Sox, Jordan decided to return to basketball. The documentary ‘The Last Dance’ on Netflix describes plans to announce his comeback. Drafts were written and re-written and Jordan wasn’t satisfied with any of them. Finally, he took him upon himself to tell the world about his return to basketball. He said it with two words:
Nearly three decades later, MS Dhoni announced his retirement using 16 words. “Thanks – Thanks a lot for ur love and support throughout. From 19:29 hrs consider me as Retired.” More than two words but short nonetheless. Just the day before, images of Dhoni landing in Chennai for the IPL preparatory camp were everywhere. It was the first glimpse people of him in months.
There are a few ways to retire:
a) Retiring when you’re on the top of your game
b) Fading away from memory
c) Being forced to retire
d) MS Dhoni’s way to retire
Dhoni has been out of the public eye since India’s heart-breaking semi-final loss to New Zealand in the 2019 World Cup. In early 2020, he was dropped from the BCCI’s list of contracted players. But the man himself was silent. Everyone speculated that the IPL would be his launchpad for his return to international cricket. Then a pandemic brought the world to its knees.
MS Dhoni’s ascent to the stratosphere has been recounted countless times. A lad from Ranchi who moonlighted as a ticket collector and then went onto become one of the most successful captains in the history of Indian cricket. In his 5th ODI, he smashed 148 against Sri Lanka. It can be said that in a single swoop, he cut short the wicket-keeping dreams of Dinesh Karthik, Deep Dasgupta and Parthiv Patel. His 183 against Pakistan a year later sealed the deal. Dhoni was the Adam Gilchrist like figure India had been looking for all along.
Then 2007 happened. India suffered an ignominious first-round exit in the 50 over World Cup and mobs in the guise of fans took out their life’s frustrations on the players. Dhoni’s house in Ranchi, which was still under construction was attacked by mobs. A tired Rahul Dravid announced he was quitting captaincy and Dhoni was appointed captain for the limited-overs formats.
The BCCI, which didn’t even want to send a squad to the inaugural T20 World Cup, finally relented. Those two weeks in September would go on to redefine cricket as we know it. India won the first T20 World Cup and cricket changed forever. Dhoni was now the toast of the town. A few months back, he had to stay back in Delhi until they found a safe passage for him home. Now, he couldn’t go home because everyone wanted a piece of him.
In their book ‘The Power of Moments’, the Heath Brothers write about a phenomenon called ‘The Reminiscence Bump’. According to this theory, some of the most memorable moments in our lives happen during the ages of 15-30. This is only an estimation and doesn’t apply to everyone. The reason is simple – most of our firsts happen during this time period. Leaving home. First job. Falling in love. Getting married. Having children. “Novelty changes our perception of time,” they say.
It’s true. While everyone remembers him finishing off with a six to give India its first World Cup win, here are some Dhoni ‘reminiscence bumps’:
a) Dhoni smashing 148 against Pakistan and 183 against Sri Lanka
b) Dhoni handing the ball to an untried Joginder Sharma in the final over of the 2007 T20 World Cup
c) Dhoni leading India to victory against Australia in the CB series in 2008
d) Dhoni rushing to the stumps to run out Mustafizur Rahman in the 2016 T20 World Cup
e) Dhoni exalting after India won the 2013 Champions Trophy
f) Dhoni walking into bat for CSK and the crowd losing it
g) Dhoni stealing another single
i) Dhoni falling short of the finish line in the 2019 World Cup semi-final against New Zealand
Just as our most memorable moments occur relatively early in life, Dhoni’s greatest highs came in the first six years of his captaincy. He led India to wins in T20 and 50 over World Cups in 2007 and 2011 respectively. India reached No.1 in the Test rankings in 2009. In 2013, he led India to victory in the Champions Trophy. He was captain when India lost the T20 final to Sri Lanka in 2014 and the Champions Trophy finals to Pakistan in 2017. In 2015, India lost to Australia in the 50 over World Cup semi-finals after being unbeaten throughout the tournament. In 2016, they were hot favourites to win the T20 World Cup at home but lost to West Indies in the semi-finals.
For the longest time, one of the preconditions for greatness was being a test great. While Dhoni played 90 tests, it wasn’t his preferred format. It is a known fact that then BCCI head honcho N Srinivasan stepped in to stop him from being axed as captain after disastrous overseas tours against England and Australia in 2011-12. In many ways, 2011 was 2007 for Dhoni all over again. In 2007, an incredible low was followed by an exalting high. In 2011, an incredible high was followed by forgettable lows. While he didn’t let in on why he quit test cricket, the multiple overseas losses must have bogged him down.
It can be said that after Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni is the most popular cricketer that India has produced. How else can someone from Ranchi find a second home in Chennai? And after Kapil Dev, he was the next person from small-town India who gave an entire generation the license to dream.
So that’s how one of India’s greats pulls down the curtains. With an Instagram post in the midst of a pandemic. This means he is in a bio-secure bubble somewhere, away from the media hounds and die-hard fans. Even a glittering ceremony, if it ever should be conducted, is some time away. So all we will have to live with are the memories.
In Michael Jordan’s eulogy to the late great Kobe Bryant, he said: “When someone dies, a part of you dies.” Something similar happens when a sporting hero retires – a part of you goes with them. It’s an inexplicable feeling. In some strange way, your life and their deeds on the field are intertwined.
I keep thinking – why is it that when some players retire, it hits us hard? I think it’s because we trust them with our dreams. We hinge our happiness, peace of mind and a good night’s sleep on how they play on the field. It’s a huge responsibility and our dreams and wishes don’t always come to fruition. That’s life.
But we wake up the next day and put our dreams in their hands again. That’s why we watched as long as Dhoni was at the crease. That’s why the rising run rate didn’t matter. As long as Dhoni was there, there was reason to keep dreaming.
Dhoni will go down in history as a great captain, fantastic finisher and astute keeper.
But more importantly, he was the keeper of dreams.
Author: Pawan Ram | Edited by Vinayak Hegde
Pawan is a writer, blogger, podcaster, and masala dosa aficionado based in Bengaluru. Article originally published in Pages of Sport
Today we celebrate the 124th birth anniversary of one of the most legendary and decorated football players in India’s history- Gostha Pal. Pal was the first footballer to be honoured with the Padma Shri in 1962 and the first to have a postage stamp in his honour. Here is his amazing story.
Gostha Pal, nicknamed the ‘The Chinese Wall’ (Chiner Pracheer) by his fans, was born in modern-day Bangladesh in 1896 and began his football career with the Kumartuli Club in 1907 when he was just 11 years old.
But things really took a turn on a rainy day in 1911, when he was playing a practice game in Calcutta’s Kumartuli Park. According to football lore, he was spotted there by Kalicharan Mitra, also known as Kali Mittir, one of only two Indian members in the governing body of the Indian Football Association at the time. Mittir was influential and well-connected in the Indian football scene, and the first to identify Pal’s unique defence techniques.
With the help of Kalicharan Mitra and another official known as Major Sailen Bose, Pal joined the Mohun Bagan club in 1913.
Interestingly, Pal’s debut match in 1913 against Dalhousie FC players was not a crowd-pleaser. The club’s fans were highly critical of the new player. But Pal managed to silence his doubters with an excellent performance in his second match against Team Black Watch, the reigning champions of the Calcutta Football League in 1912 and 1913.
Stamp issued in 1998 honouring Gostha Pal
Though Mohun Bagan club was not able to win many trophies that year, Pal’s performances gained a lot of popularity anyway. He also bagged his ‘Chinese Wall’ (or ‘Wall of China’) nickname at the time. His skills as a defender, coupled with his broad physical appearance and bravery (he played unbooted against teams with their boots very much laced on) seem to have reminded fans of the Great Wall of China.
In 1915, Pal played in the club’s first-ever division match against the Calcutta Football Club. The team would finally finish fourth in the Calcutta Football League. This was then followed by a runners-up position the very next year.
By 1921, Pal was the captain of the club. Pal was able to lead the team into the finals of the India Football Association Shield Trophy and finished as runners-up to Calcutta FC.
In 1923, Mohun Bagan became the first Indian team to reach the prestigious Rovers Cup final held in Mumbai – which gained him national recognition. The match, attended by thousands of spectators, saw Mohun Bagan beaten by the all-white Durham Light Infantry. But it is testimony to the skill of Pal and the players of Mohun Bagan, that no Indian team would win the Cup, or even come close to Mohun Bagan’s position until 1937.
Gostha Pal
By 1924, he was selected as the captain of the National Football Team and became the first captain to lead the team in an overseas tour in Sri Lanka in 1933.
He continued his captaincy for the club until 1926 and soon retired from his football career in 1935. and Mohun Bagan also became the first club in Indian history to be invited to play in the Durand Cup. They reached the semi-finals in that Cup.
So much for the bare facts. What about Pal the man? We spoke to Gostha Pal’s youngest son, Sukumar Pal, 75, currently residing in Nagpur, who shared some of his fondest memories of his father.
“What a lot of people don’t know about him is that just before he retired from football, there was one particular match that the Mohun Bagan team had against the Calcutta FC, an all English team. The referee had made several biased decisions towards the English team. So as a sign of protest, my father led the entire team to lie down on the field and refused to participate in the game. This incident was an iconic moment in Indian football,” Sukumar Pal explains.
That was in 1936. And the protest would end Pal’s career, who retired soon after.
Statue of Gostha Pal in Eden Garden, Kolkata.
“I did not have a chance to see him play because I was the youngest among the seven of us. But I always remember my father as a silent person. He never scolded us but made sure that we were all raised well and always stood up for what’s right,” Sukumar Pal adds.
Pal died on April 9, 1976. By this time he was already India’s most honoured footballer, thanks to his Padma Shri in 1962.
But his legacy continued. Pal is also the only footballer to have a statue of him erected opposite Eden Garden, Kolkata. That happened in 1984. He also has a street named after him. He got a postage stamp in 1998. And in 2004, he became the fourth player to receive the Mohun Bagan Ratna posthumously – an award given to the club’s legends.
“Even today, when I step into public offices or attend gatherings in Kolkata, the moment people realise that I’m Gostha Pal’s son, there’s a lot of respect and admiration that comes my way. Although there aren’t any tournaments under his name, he is still considered to be a legend in Kolkata,” says Sukumar Paul.
In a historic moment for Kho Kho, a popular tag game invented in Maharashtra, Sarika Kale from Osmanabad, was awarded the prestigious Arjuna Award for this year, and will be presented with it during a virtual ceremony on 29 August, which happens to be National Sports Day.
This is the first time in 22 years that a Kho Kho player is receiving the Arjuna Award, and the 27-year-old, who is the former Indian women’s Kho Kho captain, could not be more thrilled.
She has played over a hundred matches, including 22 at the National level and she also led the national team to clinch a gold at the 12th South Asian Games (SAG) in Guwahati in 2016. Her spectacular performance and excellent judgment of direction were alsodisplayedin the Asian Kho-Kho championship in Indore (2016). The team did not lose a single match in the series and clinched the cup after defeating Bangladesh in the finals. Following the win, Sarika was adjudged the best player and won a cash prize of Rs 51,000.
While the award is no doubt a milestone in her career, what is truly impressive is Sarika’s journey, which started in Ruibhar, a small village in Osmanabad. From being able to afford just one meal a day to working as a sports officer with the Maharashtra government, and winning the ‘Best Player Award’ in England (2017) the feisty woman braved all odds, charted her own destiny and defeated her deplorable circumstances to follow her one true passion — Kho Kho.
“Winning this prestigious award is a very huge deal. It not only recognises my hard work but also significantly raises the bar for an indigenous sport that deserves the nation’s attention. Through this award at least now people will know what the game is all about. I am very proud to receive the award and I hope to make the country proud as many times as possible in the future. I dedicate this award to my family, coach and every girl who wishes to make a career in sports,” an overwhelmed Sarika tells The Better India.
Sarika at an award function
Recalling the moment when her coach, Chandrajit Jadhav broke the news to her at her house she says, “It was an extremely emotional moment for all of us. This time, I shed tears of joy.”
Passion For the Sport
Kho Kho is a very popular sport in Maharashtra. Like cricket, this game also has a batting (runners) and fielding side (chasers). It is played with twelve nominated players in each team. The objective is to avoid getting touched by the opponent, and it requires immense stamina, speed and flexibility.
While the game was an integral part of Sarika’s childhood, she didn’t realise that she could make a career out of playing it, until she met Chandrajit, who was bowled over by her talent.
“In 2003-04, I was a coach with the state women’s team and we were on tour to spot the hidden talents in remote areas. After a few days of training, we selected 50 school girls out of 200 based on their running speed and physical fitness. Sarika was one of them. Her involvement and excitement for the game stood out from the rest and I knew with the right training, this girl could make India proud,” Chandrajit tells The Better India.
Sarika loved the game so much that she never missed a single practice. In fact, during monsoons, she would force Chandrajit to take the practice. No festivals, celebrations, sickness, or any other thing came in the way of Kho Kho for this schoolgirl.
Even as she acknowledges her love for the same, there was another reason why she hated to miss even a single day of practice.
“I grew up in a joint family of 10, where only two members — my mother and uncle — earned money. We got by thanks to them and my grandmother’s monthly pension of Rs 9000. My father barely worked and drank often, and for nearly 10 years, we survived on just one meal every day. So, I found solace in Kho Kho, and I learnt skills like concentration, alertness, teamwork and perseverance which helped me cope with my problems. Plus, I would get to eat more food during training,” she recalls.
However, when Sarika got an opportunity to play for the state in a tournament in 2005, her father refused to let her go and tried to force her to leave the sport.
After one such argument, she locked herself in a room and skipped practice for 12 days. She had almost given up. Her grandmother, who believed in Sarika’s talent, contacted Chandrajit and requested him to get her back on the field. An alarmed Chandrajit assured Sarika’s family that the state federation would take care of their daughter’s expenses and educated them on how Sarika’s win would unburden their financial woes.
Her father relented so Sarika resumed practise, and went on to participate in her first national tournament. Clearly, there was no stopping this girl.
“It Was Sheer Hard Work”
Sarika (left) with her coach, Chandrajit Jadhav
They say it takes a village to raise a child, but the same is also applicable for those who want to achieve the impossible and in doing so they need support and encouragement from various stakeholders.
This holds in Sarika’s case as without the unconditional support and constant motivation from her mother, grandmother and coach, she wouldn’t have reached this stage.
“Chandrajit sir and the women in my house are my biggest cheerleaders who are there for me no matter what. They never gave up on me even on days when I wanted to.”
At this point, Chandrajit politely steps in and tells me that the credit goes to Sarika’s sheer hard work.
“Very few people can achieve this level of discipline and sincerity towards their passion. More than her love, it is her respect for the game that impresses me the most. She never let her struggles affect her performance on the field. Her goal is only to be the best and we believe that there is no substitute to hard work,” says Chandrajit.
MS Tyagi, the General Secretary, Kho Kho Federation of India (KKFI) echoes Chandrajit’s viewpoint and tells The Better India, “Despite her hardships, all of Sarika’s performances have been top-notch. It is only because of hardworking women like her, Sudhanshu Mittal (the President of KKFI) and I pursued the Union Sports Ministry to nominate non-Olympic players for the award. By winning the award, Sarika has made the entire federation very proud and her staggering achievements will forever be etched in the history of Kho Kho. We hope this serves as an inspiration for other girls.”
Sarika also attributes her success to the improvement in facilities provided by the state and central sports federation, a raise in cash prize and job security. She believes that a push by the authorities has helped her tremendously in refining her performance.
A lot has changed since Sarika started playing Kho Kho, a decade ago, in terms of her family’s condition and the facilities granted by the government. However, there are two things thing that have remained constant — her dedication and winning spirit.
