It’s 5.30 p.m. On a patch outside the Police Boys and Girls Club in Kannagi Nagar, 11 girls dressed in shorts and jerseys, chase a player, who is uttering a metronomic chant — “kabaddi, kabaddi, kabaddi...” There is a a swirl of dust and a roar of cheer as the eleven trap the player.
The girls are training for their first state-level (sub-junior) kabaddi tournament, which kicks off on October 6 at Tiruvanamalai.
Standing on the sidelines, K. Tamilazhagan thinks back to the time when he had almost given up on the idea of having a girls kabbadi team.
In 2013, when Tamilazhagan tried to get girls from Kannagi Nagar, a slum off Rajiv Gandhi Salai, to play kabaddi, he met with stiff resistance. The parents had reservations about their girls wearing shorts. Some viewed kabaddi as a sport exclusive for boys. A few others discouraged him from pursuing this idea, saying girls cannot sweat it out in the heat and dust.
After much persuasion, Tamilazhagan, coach for the Police Girls team, managed to find six girls who would play kabaddi. He however relaxed the dress code.
“Many were hesitant to wear shorts and play in the open arena, as this would invite the prying gaze of passersby. So, for more than six months, when they were learning the sport, they were wearing salwar kameez,” recalls the 25-year-old coach who works with Magic Bus Foundation, a non-governmental organisation.
With the girls and the boys of the Police Boys and Girls Clubs winning many tournaments, the image of the neighbourhood has undergone a positive change.
“Many schools have girls playing kabaddi. What makes these girls special is that they are the only girls’ team from the Police Clubs representing the district,” says Tamilazhagan, even as he focuses his attention on the game.
Three teams
The Club currently has three kabaddi teams — junior, sub-junior and senior — together accounting for over 30 girls. Many more girls are showing an interest in playing kabaddi. Besides this, batches of boys are also being trained for kabaddi tournaments. “In 2014, the girls team won a zonal-level tournament, which encouraged parents to see their girls’ participation in the sport in a favourable light,” say Tamilazhagan, adding that HCL Foundation has been sponsoring and mentoring the Club.
For many girls like Anitha, Aishwarya and Sofiya, who come from broken families or have an alcoholic parent, the sport is a tool for empowerment.
K. Anitha, a class XII student of the government school in the locality, initially faced opposition from her alcoholic father to the idea of playing kabaddi. “Today, my father is a big supporter. He had a change of heart after I started winning medals and began to receive the appreciation of neighbours. He drinks lesser now,” says Anitha, who has motivated four other girls from her street to play the sport.
Rohit Nathan, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law & Order) Adyar, says he wants more children from the community to take up the sport. “Kabaddi is a sport that does not demand much resource and offers many benefits,” he says.
According to him, many children in the age group of 11 and above are prone to anti-social activities, and this can be corrected through sports.
“We can empower and direct these children along the right path by encouraging them to take up a sport,” says Rohit, adding that he wants neuro-linguistic programme (NLP) experts to spend time with these children.
