Meet the girls who pass and tackle life’s hurdles with rugby

In Odisha’s Mayurbhanj, where child marriage is common and resources scarce, girls are shattering stereotypes and charting a bold path for themselves through the sport. Reluctant at first, their families and communities are now their biggest champions, pooling resources to fuel their dreamsBholagadia lies hidden on the periphery of Similipal Tiger Reserve in the tribal-majority Mayurbhanj district of Odisha. The national park has the unusual claim to fame of being the only abode of the black tiger but, away from its safari trails and camera traps, the village has become breeding ground for a brave band of youngsters who are carving out a name for themselves and the region, by putting it on India’s rugby map.

Playing a leading part in this story are girls — determined and driven — but it’s the community as a whole that has fostered their success, essaying a remarkable supporting role.If old residents returned to light the initial spark, the effort was sustained by the generosity of villagers and gram panchayats. And if local patrons provided encouragement, pride in the youngsters’ achievements has ensured that a grassroots initiative is now a full-blown sporting revolution.

But like all great stories, this one, too, begins with hurdles.‘Just One Chance’It is late afternoon as a group of about 30 boys and girls go through their paces at the modest arena in Bholagadia. The setting — framed by forests and rolling hills — is as striking as it is unexpected. Commanding the field with quiet authority is Arati Murmu, 21. Twenty of the players are tribal girls who sprint, pass and tackle with a confidence that matches — and often surpasses — their male counterparts.

Arati was just 11 when she first picked up a rugby ball, unaware that it would one day define her life. At 17, the Santali girl from Marangtandi village was on the verge of being pushed into marriage. She fled home and found refuge at the rugby training centre in Bholagadia. Today, she holds two national gold medals.A few kilometres away in Baripada town, Parbati Hansdah spends her evenings at the playground of Mayurbhanj Law College, demonstrating crisp passing and safe tackling techniques to her juniors.

Introduced to rugby during her early years at Ranibhole Girls High School, she faced stiff resistance when she chose to pursue the sport after class 10.“I asked my parents to give me just one chance. They agreed, but only for a year. If I failed, I’d have to get married,” recalls the 20-year-old. She did not fail. Since then, Parbati has represented Odisha and India at eight national and two international meets across junior and senior categories, collecting four gold and two silver medals.‘Lot Of Persuasion’“It wasn’t easy convincing the parents of the girls. This is a region where early marriage is still practised. Parents worry more about marrying off their daughters before 18 than allowing them to play a game like rugby, where injuries are common. They would ask us, ‘ Goda, haata bhangi gale, kiye baha haba ? (Who will marry them if they break their hands and legs?)’. Our real roadblock was not finding girls who were fit for the game, but counselling their parents.

It took a lot of persuasion,” says J Sushil Hembram of the Mayurbhanj District Rugby Football Association (MDRFA).It was in 2019 that Hembram, along with Sunaram Kisku and Dibyaranjan Das — former rugby players hailing from local tribal communities — decided to bring the sport to their villages. The trio had studied and played in Bhubaneswar, where the Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) has long promoted rugby.Das, a former student of KISS, later served as a physical education trainer there. He had seen firsthand how structured training and institutional support could turn raw talent from remote villages into national-level players.Determined to recreate that model back home, the three returned to Mayurbhanj. Their goal was simple but ambitious: identify promising tribal boys and girls with natural athletic ability and introduce them to a sport that, at the time, many in the region had barely heard of.In 2019, Das set up Future Star Sports Academy in Baripada, while Hembram and Kisku established the MDRFA, headquartered at Bholagadia under Khunta tehsil. Before the academies formally took shape, Das and Hembram travelled extensively across Mayurbhanj, visiting schools under the SC and ST department to scout for young talent. Their focus was on children in the 8-17 age group who, they believed, could be groomed early.

Moving from one school to another, they introduced students to the basics of rugby and shortlisted those who showed promise in preliminary drills.Many of the girls, from tribes like Santal, Munda and Ho, belong to families dependent on marginal farming and daily-wage labour. Some are being raised by single mothers struggling to make ends meet, some are orphans. “On the field, our hardships fade into the background, replaced by the will to build a better future through this sport,” said Parbati.Future Star Academy and MDRFA began with just five-10 trainees each. Today, together, they have more than 100 youths who have played at the national level and several others who are training to do so — most of them tribal girls. Arati, Parbati and Sandhyarani Tudu have already represented India internationally across junior and senior categories.At both centres, food, accommodation and training are provided free of cost.

“Trainees continue their education at nearby govt schools and colleges. Those who want to pursue higher education do so through distance learning,” Das said.‘Empowering In Truest Sense’Arati’s father drives an autorickshaw and her two brothers are unemployed. Recently, she returned home with cheques of Rs 5 lakh and Rs 6 lakh — awarded by the Odisha govt for the two gold medals she won at the 37th and 38th Senior National Games — and placed them in her father’s hands.

“The moment was empowering in the truest sense,” she says.Her father had once considered getting her married early, but now sees how rugby has brought recognition and financial support to the family.“When I decided to play rugby, my parents were reluctant; wearing shorts and playing a sport considered manly was looked down upon in our society. But when I played for Odisha and India and won gold, my father was the proudest.

He now tells everyone to allow their daughters to take up the sport,” said Parbati, who debuted for Odisha at the 36th National Games in Gujarat in 2022.Nurtured By The CommunityWhat stands out in Mayurbhanj’s rugby revolution is that it is sustained not by govt, but largely by the local community. In a region with limited resources, they help with whatever they can — from food to funds.Tribals in Bholagadia and nearby villages donate rice, vegetables and pulses every month to ensure trainees get nutritious food.

“There are panchayat meetings every fortnight. Whenever there is a shortage, we place a list of groceries that are needed, and villagers send everything to our centre,” said Hembram.In seasons of surplus harvest, a significant portion of the produce is sent directly to the training centre, while the rest is sold in local haats. Support also comes from youths who have migrated and become professionals, said Baba Dhalaram Hansdah, chief adviser of the MDRFA.A similar donation model sustains the Future Star Sports Academy, with support coming from well-wishers and the Mayurbhanj Foundation, which was set up by erstwhile Mayurbhanj royals. Last year, they hosted the first-ever Maharaja 7s Rugby Tournament, deepening community ownership of the sport.“Sport has always been part of Mayurbhanj’s DNA — from the warrior discipline of chhau and akhada-style training to mudhi mangsho , known as the breakfast of warriors.

Since the princely era, the Bhanj Deo rulers have promoted sport, founding institutions like the Maharajah Sri Ram Chandra Bhanj Deo Football Club in 1919. What’s powerful is that the same villages that were producing athletes a century ago continue to do so today,” said Akshita M Bhanj Deo, a member of the Mayurbhanj royal family.The Road Ahead“Today, Mayurbhanj sends the highest number of players to Indian rugby, and most of them are girls,” said Das.

Some players who excelled nationally have received job offers from govt and private organisations, but significant challenges persist. Nutrition remains the biggest concern, said Kisku. Community donations ensure three meals a day but do not guarantee balanced nutrition. “Athletes need wholesome, nutrient-rich food for rigorous training.

That can only come from a proper dietary plan,” he said.Infrastructure is another hurdle. Lack of quality playgrounds and training facilities make high-level practice difficult. India remain minnows in world rugby — the women’s team is ranked No. 56, the men are No. 86 — but the girls training in Mayurbhanj know that no hurdle is high enough to deter them from dreaming.