One by one the girls entered the football ground. Some on cycles; others were strolling. It was a pleasant summer morning at Madarpur, a village in Birbhum, situated at the border of Jharkhand and West Bengal. My elder brother Hari S Dasgupta and I have started the Shreeja Football coaching center in this remote village to bring hope and happiness for some tribal girls.
In the year 2016, I was working with an NGO in a remote village in Bihar disseminating health information to rural women through mobile phones. One of the beneficiaries was listening to her mobile phone for over 10 minutes. Her husband lost his temper and started beating her. “With whom are you talking for so long?” was the patriarch arrogance. “I am learning about how to avoid unwanted pregnancy,” was the innocent answer. The beating and begging for mercy continued till one of the neighbors informed us at the NGO office. We rushed to the house and saved the victim from further violence. I was stunned but not my NGO colleagues. “This is normal in Indian villages”, one of my colleagues told me.
That day, I learned that women need to be in favorable groups to fight violence against them. I came back home and designed a program where women would grow together. The idea of building a women’s football team with intense physical exercise would not only make young girls physically strong but the female bond would make them mentally alert too. I talked to my brother and got Shreeja India registered as a charitable Trust at Kolkata on February 3, 2017.
The response was unbelievable. On day one, there were 50 girls eager to register for football training. Their parents requested us to start an academic coaching center as well. Within three months the out-of-school coaching center was also started.
“Do you enjoy playing football?” I asked Anjali one day.
“Yes, I do,” was the prompt reply. Her face was brimming with confidence.
“But why do you like playing football?” I asked again.
“Because now I have 50 new friends,” she replied.
I smiled and took a deep breath. I looked up to the deep blue Birbhum sky. The sage was right.
More than 30 years back I met a sage at a road-side tea stall in Kolkata. He taught me a Tin Tulsi Brata (The ritual of three Tulsi/Basil leaves).
1. Don’t leave anyone starving
2. Don’t deprive anyone of medical facilities
3. Don’t divest anyone of education
Finally, Shreeja India is born to nurture the three Tulsi leaves in the context of women’s football. With the objective of making underprivileged girls stand up on their own feet, Shreeja India uses sports as a tool for social development. We believe, “If designed intelligently, football can play a big role in the process of growing up of children in developing countries.”
People are coming forward. Shreeja India is waiting for more. The Basil leaves are growing and the barren land of Birbhum is slowly becoming the secret garden of intellect and beauty. More and more girls are joining the program. Shreeja mentors are helping them to unlock their potentials to realize their cherished dreams.
