Six players from Bengal are part of the Indian squad competing in the Asian Rugby Championship, underway in Kolkata from Saturday.
The sport is making a comeback after two Covid-scarred years.
On Saturday, India beat Nepal by a big margin of 86-0.
Some players have risen from the margins to make a mark in sport and life.
One of them is Akash Balmiki, 26. A fly-half wearing Number 10 on the back of his shirt, he is like the command post for the team, instrumental in launching attacks.
He hails from a colony behind the police quarters in Bhabani Bhavan, the state police headquarters. He is a product of Khelo Rugby, a Jungle Crows rugby club project, which takes sporting and social development opportunities into marginalised communities.
Balmiki has represented India several times in the past, playing in Pakistan, the Philippines and South Africa.
“The last two years were extremely frustrating. The comeback of the game is a big relief,” said Balmiki.
Rahul Bose, president of the Indian Rugby Football Union, was at the stadium on Saturday.
Bose, a former captain of the Indian rugby team, put things in perspective.
“Today, rugby is played in 310 out of 730 districts in this country. It is the mostplayed, least-known sport in India. The push among the rural poor and urban poor has happened partly by design and partly by default. By default because today’s children, from middle-class and upscale socio-economic families, are preferring tennis, golf, chess, squash and soccer.”
Arpan Chhetri, 22, who made his debut for India on Saturday, has roots in Sikkim. He has been with Future Hope, a school for street children since he was six years old.
“Dream come true,” Chhetri said about his experience.
In the Asian Championship, India is competing in Division 3 South category with Nepal and Bangladesh.
The winner will play the winners of other regions for a place in the playoffs, known as Division 2, slated in March next year.
