Footballers toiling as labourers

Satish Seth

Kaithal, April 17

Five promising footballers — Ritu, Sheetal, Sudesh, Poonam and Sonia — from village Manas in Kaithal are forced to work as farm labourers to eke out a living. Daughters of a farmer, small time businessmen, and a brick kiln worker, these teenagers rush from Government Senior Secondary School, Manas, straight to the fields and work tirelessly till late in the evening to earn extra money for their families.

Football, their only hope of a good life, is lost somewhere on the stretch from the school to the fields. Sisters Ritu and Sheetal toil in fields to support their father Rajpat who has a tyre-repair shop as the only source of income. Though Ritu won a gold in the National School Games, Goa, in December last year, right now, football is the last thing on her mind. The looming clouds are her biggest worry. She wields the sickle with a frightening pace lest rains should spoil the crop.

Sudesh, once a gold-medal winning member of the Under-16 National Games, Ranchi (2013), tries to keep up the pace with Ritu and Sheetal. She is swift and also good at teamwork, the gold medal in PYKKA Panchayat Youth Games, Ranchi 2013, keeps reminding her of her competitive spirit.

Poonam, a silver medallist (Under-14) in the National School Games, took to the field once again (Under-17) to come up with a silver medal. In the school ground she has the reputation of having electric legs, but in the field full of wet grains, her arms start failing her within an hour.

In just two years, Sonia, a daughter of a brick kiln worker, has come to know where she belongs. She may have won a silver medal (Under-17) in the National School Games, 2013, but the way to the football ground goes through the village field. 

Coach Dilbag Singh said, “These girls have to work in fields as farm labour to make two ends meet. The harvest season has given them an opportunity to earn extra money and contribute to their family’s income. Nutritious diet comes far later, it is the fight for survival first.” School principal Raj Kumar said, “Let’s hope village elders and philanthropists come to their rescue.”