Hanumangarh, Rajasthan

It was a giant step for the girls of Baramsar village in Rajasthan’s Hanumangarh district when they traded their salwar kameez for sports jerseys and track pants. This did not happen overnight.

When Chandrapal Beniwal joined the government school in the village as a sports teacher six years ago, there was not a single girl participating in sporting events. 

But things changed and girls from the Government Higher Secondary School at Baramsar have covered themselves, their school and the district laurels at the state level.  

But things changed and girls from the Government Higher Secondary School at Baramsar have covered themselves, their school and the district laurels at the state level.  

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Earlier this year, at the 26th district level football tournament held between October 20 and 23, the team of the Baramsar school was at the top of its game and came first in the district. Six of the team members have been selected to represent the district at the state level. They are Ritu, Nisha, Anusuya, Poonam, Kavita and Rukmani. Another feather in the cap of the girl students of the Baramsar school was the selection of Ritu, Nisha, Anusuya and Nasreena to represent the district in athletics at the state level.

“When the girls of our school performed so well and returned with the trophy and medals won at the state’s sports meet in the under-17 category, the village inhabitants greeted them with flowers and a band,” the jubilant sports and physical instructor Beniwal, told Gaon Connection.  

“This would have been unimaginable six years ago. The school didn’t even have a playing field and I took PT classes in a lane next to the school.  And even there, there were hardly any girls in the class,” he recalled. 

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Baramsar lies about 400 kms away from the state capital Jaipur. It borders both Haryana and Punjab, and six years ago, when Beniwal arrived here, there was no way girls were taking part in sporting activities. Traditionally, girls in the village couldn’t afford to dream of either sports or even higher education. Their outdoor activities were limited to playing with siblings on their doorsteps.  

But Beniwal brought about change. “In my first year here, I remember one girl being selected for the under-17 football team. But her family flatly refused to let her go. We had to work hard to persuade the family,” Beniwal said. After that changes happened, but gradually. One of the village inhabitants allowed the school to use his empty plot of land as a playground and sporting equipment was bought with the help of state support and that of some generous villagers. 

“When we begin selecting and training for competitions, of the hundred children who turn up, more than sixty are girls,” said Beniwal. 

“Thanks to Beniwal Sir we have been able to take part in sports and do well in them,” Ritu, who has since participated in several events, told Gaon Connection. Ritu participated in the district level athletics meet in 2017-18 and won third place. She also took part in the 62nd State Level Athletics Meet in the 200 metre run event. 

For the first time Baramsar’s school participated in the 22nd district athletics meet held in 2016-17, and in that very year, Maya Godara, a class seven student of the school won first place in the under-14 long jump event. 

That was the turning point after which the school began participating in more and more sports meets.  In 2018-19, at the 24th district level kabaddi tournament, a team made up of 14-year-old girls from the school took part. Nasreena, a student of class eight showed her mettel and won an opportunity to represent the district at the 63rd State Level tournament and was part of the winning team. Nasreena also excelled in the high jump event at the district athletics meet and qualified to represent the district at the state level. These feats opened up the doors for the girls of Baramsar. 

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In the 26th District Level Sports Meet in 2021-22, the girls of Baramsar created history. 

“My family would constantly worry about me going out to participate in these events, but they allowed me to go out there,” Nisha, who is an avid sportsperson, told Gaon Connection.

Beniwal on his part wants to see the girls of Barasmar shine not only in the district, state and national levels, but also internationally. He regretted that the village had no play ground where the children could train well. “If the state authorities could step forward and help in setting up an infrastructure for sports and games, the students and I will do the rest of the hard work,” he said.  

Read the story in Hindi