We had it all. The teams and their raw energy, the paara or neighbourhood, the carnival spirit and then some intensely touching moments. I was back in Siliguri yesterday to oversee the men’s and women’s finals of the RevSportz Football Carnival which kick-started last month with the inaugural press conference and the first women’s games.
Sixteen men’s and sixteen women’s teams played in this just concluded edition of the tournament. Heart-warming stories greeted me as I entered the ground a little after half-noon. One of our team members recounted the ladies semi final. The girls team from Haldibari, an area known for its tea gardens had been playing exceptionally well. The Haldibari organisers had pledged that if they won the semis, they would stop work for the day and bring a 200 plus strong band of supporters to cheer for their team.
Sadly, their team lost in the semi, but it’s that spirit which speaks volumes. Several teams that played in this edition of the tournament were made up of ‘tea garden kids’, girls and boys whose parents are workers in the tea estates. For these youngsters football is a way to rise over and above the circumstances of themselves and their parents. The women’s tournament is sponsored by Tata Steel and these tales add to their mammoth legacy of creating social mobility and empowerment.
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The whoops of delight that followed the receipt of the cash and other prizes at the end of yesterday’s finals were much more than celebration. They were symbolic rays of hope. The Gayeshpur Manager, whose girls’ team had been champions last year, came up to the podium and shook my hand. ‘My girl got a mobile, her’s had broken down.’ He was unhappy at not winning the championship this time again, but his gratitude was palpable. He was referring to one of the mobile phone sets given as part of the Best Scorer and Player of the Tournament prizes. It meant his girls had enough incentive now to keep giving their best. Because football for them is the only way to aspire for a better life, those amenities or way of living that we take for granted and which for them is still totally aspirational.
And then, there was the whole neighbourhood and carnival spirit. Cows jumped into the football ground and scampered around, trying to reclaim their place that the humans had taken over. Neighbourhood pre teens had turned ball boys and ran errands to be rewarded with momos, made available by our sponsor Wow Momo, and energy drinks -supplied by Limca Glucocharge. Mobile phones were given by Itel, and smart backpacks for each Player of the Match by Shrachi Sports. In between the women’s and men’s finals a short match was played with local veterans- including ex star striker Manjit Singh, and the energy there was for everybody to watch. This was true community outreach and a community spirit.
The Women’s Champions were handed the Tata Steel Trophy, the Men’s Champions and Runners Up received the trophies instituted in memory of Dr. Prodosh Majumdar and Shri Shrawan Kumar Todi, founder of Shrachi group, one of our sponsors.