AIFF Media Team

NEW DELHI: Thirteen-year-old Ranjana (name changed) from the Dhingsari village in Bikaner district, Rajasthan, wept through the night; tears welled in her eyes as she fought the sadness and tried to forget the severe beating she received from her parents the previous evening.

Ranjana’s “fault” was participating in a district-level football tournament where she was adjudged the best player. As she proudly reached home, all she received on her smiling face was a few mighty slaps. Her father tore off the certificate and warned her of dire consequences if she played football in the future.

Ranjana pleaded for justice but received none. A couple of months later, Ranjana was hurriedly married off so that she didn’t get hooked on a sport that girls play in “indecent” outfits.

But then, Ranjana was not the only girl, who suffered a similar fate. There were many in the village, whose footballing ambitions were nipped in the bud by their parents.

But things do change as lilies bloom within the sedge. The parents in the financially backward village are now not too reluctant to allow their daughters to play serious football. The change in the atmosphere has done wonders—this season, a dozen girls from the Dhingsari village were proud members of the Rajasthan squad, who recently won the Junior Girls’ National Football Championship 2024-25 Tier 2 and qualified for Tier 1 next season. In the final, Rajasthan defeated Karnataka, considered one of the powerhouses of Indian football.

Vikram Singh Rajvi, a former first-class footballer and son of former India captain Magan Singh, who runs an academy named in his legendary father’s name, says it wasn’t easy to force the turnaround.

“Most of these girls were either herding goats or working on the farmlands as daily wagers from their childhood and were expected to get married before they turned 12. We tried for years and could finally make them understand the importance of playing football. We run the academy for free; we don’t even charge a penny. Even our academy isn't equipped with the best of facilities. The parents have now realised that football can offer their daughters a brighter future; the girls are convinced that football is their window to freedom,” said Vikram, who spends a large amount of money from his Indian Railways salary to keep the academy running.

Dileep Singh Shekhawat, the honorary secretary of the Rajasthan Football Association, said: “This is Rajasthan’s first major win in 60 years. The last title we won was the Junior National Football Championship for the BC Roy Trophy in 1964 in Ajmer.

“In this team, 12 of the 23 girls are from Dhingsari village in Bikaner. We will do our best for the entire squad. We will approach the authorities so that the girls get jobs in sports quota in different government organisations,” said the Rajasthan secretary.

It has been an incredible journey in the last few years, a hair-raising experience at times, said Vikram. “There is one girl, who belongs to an extremely poor family. I was so impressed by her skills that I decided to take care of her needs. The girl’s family agreed. In the Tier 2 NFC, she played a major role in Rajasthan’s triumph.

“Good that people in our area have now realised the importance of women’s football. Several facilitation functions were organised in honour of the team. They received some cash awards, too. I hope the girls will be given jobs and other facilities so that more girls come forward to play the beautiful game,” said Vikram.