Patna: When Komal Kumari (16) would go to practise football in shorts and t-shirt with her friends around three years ago, the boys in her lane would taunt them: " Tum log ladka nahi ho, tum log itna chhote kapde kaise pahan sakti ho?" (You are not boys. How can you wear such short dresses?).
On Thursday, Komal and other underprivileged girls like her, who took part in a football match organised by the non-government organisation Caritas Switzerland, shared how they overcome gender bias and many other hurdles to pursue their passion - football.
"Football entered into my life through my sister's friend who used to play the game," said Komal, daughter of a plumber. "I started practising with her at a ground in Sorampur. Initially I used to practise in salwar kameez. I started practising in proper dress from 2016 after I was gifted a football at a camp in our area. It was in that camp that all of our team members had got dresses. However, soon after I started practising wearing proper football dress, the boys in my area started making fun of me.
"Even the elderly residents had problems and they used to taunt my parents, and I used to get a scolding every time," she added. "However, I didn't let the comments and the scolding affect me. I kept following my passion. Today, everyone has understood no matter what, I am not going to leave the sport."
Komal said that she got football coaching at a camp organised by the Gaurav Grameen Mahila Vikas Manch, the same NGO under which her sister's friend had taken training.
"The NGO organises the camp once in a year, in January. Two coaches come and teach us various techniques and we practise it throughout the year. It would have been great if we would have got a permanent teacher who would teach each and every technique which can help us improve in our game," added Komal.
Anshu Kumari (15), an Alampur resident and Komal's teammate, also had a similar story to share; she, too, had to brave taunts and jeers for wearing shorts and practising football.
"These things don't matter to me anymore. I just want to pursue the game. Actually I want to make a career out of it," said Anshu, whose father happens is a farmer.
Pratima Kumari, secretary of the Gaurav Grameen Mahila Vikas Manch, said the NGO had trained around 2,000 girls in Phulwarisharif and its surrounding areas in football with an aim to break gender stereotypes.
"Football is just a tool to empower these girls. We also give them reproductive sexual hygiene and leadership training once a week. We are now planning to hire a permanent coach for them. Not all can become good footballers but we have found spark in few, whom we want to nurture," she added.
Officials of Caritas Switzerland, which organised the football match, said the main purpose of the event was to highlight gender equality and to celebrate the Fifa World Cup.
"When millions of football fans across the world await the opening match of the 2018 Fifa World Cup, the underprivileged girls played a football match to challenge and change gender stereotypes and social exclusion. As a part of our little contribution to boost them up, we donated football kits (football, net, dress, boot, socks) to the players after the match," said country director of Caritas International, Keerti.
Noted social worker Sudha Verghese, Tarumitra founder Robert Athickal were among the dignitaries present at the event. In the match, the team called Yusuf Malala beat the team called Savitribai Phule by 3-2. Komal scored two goals.
