From a docile and hesitant personality to an eager active and indomitable footballer, this young girl’s inspiring journey is a testament to how transformation is possible if carefree and nurturing environment is given to young children.
Brijkumari Maravi, a 13-year-old girl from a tribal family now studies at a residential school set up by Mrida Education in Mandla, Madhya Pradesh. When Mrida’s team visited Brijkumari’s house 2 years ago to gauge her interest to enroll in the school, Mrida’s football academy’s assistant coach Kushal Bhavedi documented his first impression of the girl as “unsure about her future prospects”.
Life has never been easy for this teenager. Brijkumari belongs to a farming family in Mohgaon, Mandla. She has one elder sister and two younger brothers. She lost her father at a tender age and thereafter her mother remarried leaving all the children under the care of their old grandparents. Her life circumstances had made her sad and remorseful. She lacked self-confidence. She would not easily open up and stayed drawn in her shell. She did not feel confident and was unsure when asked about enrollment at Mrida’s residential school.
As Brijkumari got involved in school activities and was counseled from time to time, she gradually opened up. The academy coach encouraged her to attend the football training sessions. He included her in the school’s football team to play matches and from the word “Go” she put her best foot forward with her enthusiasm, grit and determination.
Over the last 2 years, she has picked up the game with regular practice under the able guidance of coach Kailash, who heads the football program. She simultaneously continues to study regular subjects like Hindi, Mathematics, History and Science at the residential school. She is far behind in Mathematics and English for which she attends daily remedial coaching. She is attentive in the classroom and participates in all the classroom activities. She is growing up to become a knowledgeable and compassionate human being through her helpful behavior towards her classmates and her sincerity towards learning. Besides, playing football she participates in extra-curricular activities like dance, song, bhajan, drama and sports and maintains good health and hygiene. She has natural curiosity towards plants and trees with a special interest in medicinal plants and herbs.
The football academy coach Kushal finds her a promising candidate for Goalkeeping and has been training her for the past few months. She diligently follows all the rules of the game. The same coach now finds it funny that the girl he thought would not be capable to manage the rigours of the game, is now the most agile, active, and vocal player in the team. She is very eager to learn, which makes her different and she never gives up. He says, “I am hopeful that she will one day make it to the Indian’s women’s team and make us all proud”.
Prior to joining the school and academy, Brijkumari worked as a daily wager in Nagpur along with her mother. She became adept at foraging medicinal plants from the forest, cleaning and selling at a young age and would sell medicinal plants like Kodi, found in the jungles here. These experiences have gone into making her wise beyond her years. Her past experiences and the care, kindness and discipline to follow a routine that she is getting used to now at the school is helping Brijkumari blossom into a talented, optimistic and fearless young adult.
At the residential school, her day begins at 5 am with a 30 mins Yoga session, and football practice for 3.5 hours followed by 4.5 hours of studies, and then again 3 hours of football practice in the evening followed by 2 hours of studies.
Along with other kids, she listens to stories before going to bed after having a nutritious dinner at 8.30 pm. And like regular fussy eaters, Brijkumari prefers to eat potatoes. Since malnourishment is a huge developmental issue in the Mahakaushal region, the school regularly checks the weight of all the students. Brijkumari’s current weight stands at 30Kgs and she is not malnourished as many other tribal kids found in the region. The teacher keeps a regular watch of the BMI of each and every kid and nutritious food is provided to the children at the hostel which is done in consultation with the Nutritionist.
When other children of the hostel leave for their villages, she still opts to stay behind because she loves to be at the campus, which is a home away from home for her. When asked about her experience of living at the residential school. She remarks, “I love being at the academy but sometimes miss my grandparents”. And when asked about what she wants to become in the future, she confidently says, “I want to become a football player.
Mrida has set up a residential school and an on-campus football academy which is now affiliated to the Madhya Pradesh Football Association to run grass-root level football training program in Mandla. The school focuses on providing holistic modern education programs in Mandla, in one of the most economically backward districts of the country. The school is making a difference in the lives of young children from tribal families with its sports-focused development programs, every child enrolled in the school plays football.We at the campus are happy to see that the children coming from impoverished families now have the opportunity to ASPIRE, to be someone they want to be. This is their dream: this is our dream that one day children like Brijkumari represent India at the International level in sports. We have been fortunate to receive support from patrons from all over the country. Connect with us at [email protected] if you want to be a part of our innovative social impact initiatives to fulfill inspiring dreams.
