An ode to our SAFF champions 

Illustration: TBS

Every dream begins at the mind's juvenescence, often at the bud of childhood. Memories we build drive us forward in life. We owe it to ourselves to be true to our passion and purpose in life. But the journey has hindrances galore – society, financial ability, politicised factors like ethnicity, background, origin and so on. 

As a woman in the contemporary world, I can honestly say, it gets tough out in the real world. But to make a mark as a woman, nonetheless, is an extreme sport. 

In earlier times, traditional families lived under the weighted blanket of designated gender roles, which over time bred disparities. Oftentimes, it drove a wedge between men and women in every avenue you can think of. People's upbringing, hardships and triumphs are usually dictated by opportune moments or those ruefully missed. 

If you are a woman born in a traditional Bangladeshi home to parents with minimalistic views on career, you'd be told to settle down, bear children, and maybe, just maybe, you could pass your life through an enervating loop of a 9-5 job. 

Some might say, your roots can become manacles to your feet if you told your loved ones your passion lies in kicking barriers off to the races, straight into a goal post. 

On 21 September, the country stood transfixed in celebration, enthralled by a team of champions who secured a proud victory at the SAFF football tournament in Nepal.

You could hear hoorahs and hallelujah and see tears of joy emanating from throngs of crowds celebrating a certain victory. Of course, we cheered them on. After all, the nation's pride and joy was an esteemed team of women footballers. 

Unsung but now roared for, these SAFF champion girls are heralding a mightier avenue for women in the art of sports.

But how many women in sports come to mind, generally speaking, as opposed to men? How many Bangladeshi women have explored various fields in the business and earned their claim to fame? It's not that breezy to walk on fire. 

All I could think in the midst of all this is a comment someone made, that these women play just as well as men. And I remember responding, no, these champions played the sport as any footballer would. 

Back in school, my friend started playing basketball at the Abahani field. Luckily, her parents were incredibly supportive. A scarring incident from 4th grade barred me from even going to the school auditorium to play badminton with the other kids. One fine sports class day, I had got my period and somehow the boys in the class found out. And I remember being teased for it. 

As a teenager, any time I played out in the street, my friends and I would be made to feel soul-crushingly uncomfortable by random strangers tossing comments our way; cat-calling, eve teasing and what have you. 

Eventually, I gave up playing outdoors and indoors, and at some point, I seemed to lose interest in sports altogether.

But recent events made me realise how big a challenge it is to go through with one's dream, especially one where a woman is pursuing a sport like football.

Each of the SAFF champions was just a young girl once. Someone inspired them. Before they knew it, they picked up the ball and knew where their passion lies. That's not all. Someone also motivated them, and they were coached and trained every day to land a footing on their expertise. This required investment, thought, harsh reality spasms, and finally, they formed a team. 

Eventually, they stepped into a bigger arena and confidently represented their nation to bring home a victory which made their chest swell with pride. They made it. But the inspiration as an athlete planted the seeds in the first place. Perhaps these women have had posters of Lionel Messi or Christiano Ronaldo hung up on a wall somewhere, which they would gaze at and say, I want to be a great footballer someday. 

Aside from the politicised factors circling gender disparities, breaking barriers and such, it's important to acknowledge that these women are athletes. They are ingrained with high spirits, which they brought with them when they moved to the big city of Dhaka and eventually acquired the support of the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF). 

But said factors cannot be ignored, more so when where they come from was a leap from great ordeals. The majority of the 23 players who make up the Bangladesh women's football team belong to ethnic minority groups - who are disenfranchised and thus, have thornier paths to walk. 

Take this win as an example. I implore you to understand just how far an individual can go, the achievements they can secure with the right scale of training, building infrastructure and most importantly, investment. These women had their aspirations in life, sure. But when concerned individuals gave them the minimum resources and time, they soared. 

Also, albeit how all of this may seem like an overnight victory, especially for the uninitiated who do not follow sports, it is worth mentioning that these women consistently trained and defeated their opponents for years on end. This did not happen overnight, this moment (21 September) took years in the making, and primarily took their unwavering grit to show up for practice off the field and commendable performance on the field.  

Since the championship win, these women have received many rewards. Bangladesh Cricket Board offered Tk50 lakh, Sharmin Salam (the wife of BFF senior vice-president Salam Murshedy and chairman of Envoy Group) announced a reward of Tk50 lakh for the footballers, PM  ordered housing for the goalkeeper, so far, and Bangladesh Army offered Tk1 crore to the team – to list few of the prize money offered to the SAFF champions. 

This is bound to have ripple effects. Collectively, each individual can look forward to a more settled life as opposed to their financial constraints all along, with their reportedly Tk8-12,000 monthly income. Their victory is bound to inspire women in other national teams. 

The instruments in society help develop an individual. Some follow breadcrumbs to conform to a fluid state, while others wage wars in their circumstances to climb ladders. But then there are others, the poets, writers, artists, athletes and SAFF champions in the society who break out of the mould and set the bar, not just for generations to follow but also for the ordinary girls and women to look up and recognise the broken ceilings and room for excellence, despite the hurdles.  

They make the stories of victory real, the history pages sturdy, and the world positive and hopeful. 

But they too must traverse through social norms whilst embarking upon their dream's esplanade; and for us to dream and follow. 

Nylah Shah, Journalist. TBS Sketch