New Delhi: Almost 1600 kilometres away from Delhi, the national capital and the hub of several excellent kabaddi facilities, where several budding players get wings for their future goals, young tribal girls are using the sport to escape from a restricted, rural life.
Situated approximately 230 km away from India’s financial capital, Mumbai, Kudoshi, a small tribal village in Maharashtra is an oasis amidst a conservative society for several young girls, who want to break the boundaries and open a world of opportunities for themselves.
In a place where the life of a girl/woman revolves around household chores, marriage and children, kabaddi provides a platform to change the lives of the young tribal girls.
Meena, one of the girls playing kabaddi to create her own identity, recently spoke exclusively to BBC and opened up on the feeling of power and freedom she gets while playing kabaddi, a sport with ancient roots in India now played in more than 50 countries across the world.
“It feels different when I play. In that moment, I am not the Meena who is bound to housework, weighed down by pressures and expectations. It’s just me and the opponent… It feels like I am more powerful than other girls who don’t play,” Meena told BBC.
More than just a kabaddi club
Daji Rajguru is one of the teachers from the village school who decided 15 years ago they wanted to give girls a new meaning in life. Rajguru wanted his daughter to achieve things in life but dreamt big and decided along with his colleagues to create an all-girls Kabaddi club.
All the founding members of the club had played Kabaddi when they were younger. So it was easy for them to teach local girls how to play. They paid from their pockets, convinced the school to let them use its grounds, and opened the club.
From reservations to acceptance
Rajguru recalls that in the beginning, just two girls, who were students in the school, joined up as parents were not ready to allow the girls to spend a lot of time away from home.
The parents, mostly belonging to traditional families, were also worried about the impact of playing the sport – which meant going out and coming home late – on their daughter’s marriage prospects in the future.
Daji and colleagues took matters into their own hands and went door to door to convince the parents about their daughter’s safety at training sessions before and after school. They also took responsibility for supervising the girls and ensuring they avoided distractions.
They even picked the girls up from their homes and dropped them off, but once there was more interest, they were unable to fulfil the pick-and-drop duties. An estimated 300 girls have trained in the club, which at present, has about 30 kabaddi aspirants. Daji’s own daughter is among the number of girls who chose to empower themselves through sport.
With the Kabaddi World Cup returning to India in 2025 after a gap of 13 years, selectors can unearth hidden gems in Kudoshi village. All they have to do is send some scouts to watch training sessions at the legendary all-girls Kabaddi club.
(Inputs taken from a BBC report)
In Kudoshi, Maharashtra, an all-girls kabaddi club is transforming the lives of young girls. Facing societal restrictions, these girls find empowerment and freedom through the sport. The club, founded 15 years ago by a teacher, initially faced parental resistance but persevered, proving kabaddi’s power to break barriers and offer new opportunities. The club’s success showcases the potential of sports to drive social change. Kabaddi Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
