Bordering our community wall is a public ground. Although it is neighbours with an active cemetery, the ground is usually teaming with life. Looking at it from our bedroom window is a regular feature in our daily lives. Even on the days we don’t explicitly gaze down, the constant humming arising from part human, part animal & bird’s activity, gently reminds us of its presence.
It’s been 2 years or less since the panchayat/ municipality has cleared off bushes & debris, planted trees at the perimeter, made a pitch and cut access for four wheelers much to the dismay of nouveau drivers. Ever since, the ground has been a hotspot for gully cricketers. Even in the hottest of the summer days, the ground hosts several cricket matches and a couple running in parallel on holidays. It is a no brainer, the ground is a boon for the neighbourhood, but every time I look down, I wonder : Where are the girls?
Right across the ground within the walls of our gated community, you can easily spot girls running, cycling and playing. Perhaps this is an incorrect comparison. If you’ve visited any park, the one with swing sets, there’s no visible gender disparity. A look at the pools in summers, can only tell you we need more pools. But the moment, you hit a basketball court you begin to notice a shift. There’s a similar downward trend in teenage girls participating in recreational sports.
For the girls living outside our community, there could be several factors like commute to the ground, security concerns on the ground, cannibalisation of the area by the guys. But what is stopping our girls from coming together for a game of throwball, kho, basketball, dodgeball and why not even cricket?
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