Bend It Like Beckham in Saree: Saree-clad wives play football tourney in Gwalior

By Express News Service

BHOPAL: It was a Bend It Like Beckham moment but in saree in Madhya Pradesh’s Gwalior over the last five days.

While devotees across the country were offering special prayers to Goddess Durga and observing fasting as part of the ongoing Chaitra Navaratri, the Stree Shakti (women power) were donning a different role at the MLB College Ground in Gwalior.

At least 96 women (mostly married), including housewives, school and college teachers and even those engaged in making pickles and papad – all while wearing sarees — tried their luck with football at the ‘Goal In Saree’ tourney organized on Saturday and Sunday, after three practice days.

“This was the second edition of the tourney, where after three practice days, two main match days were organized on Saturday and Sunday. Unlike, the inaugural edition of the tourney held in 2022 when just four teams from Gwalior had participated, this year there were eight teams from the Gwalior district, out of which Orange or the Tulip team and the Red or the Sherni team battled for the top honours on Sunday. Eventually, it was the Orange team which won the title by a solitary goal,” tourney’s main organizer and Gwalior-based social activist Anjali Gupta Batra said.

The unique aspect of the tourney was that not only did all women play football while wearing saree, but possibly none of them had ever played the competitive sport in the past. These saree-clad women players were aged between 20 years to 72 years, with the oldest of them being 72-year-old Daljit Singh Mann.

Excited over playing the game in a saree, Queen-Team Blue’s captain Preeti Gupta said, “The tourney has drawn home the point to all housewives that merely indulging in domestic chores isn’t going to make you fit. Instead, you’ll have to daily practice Yoga and play sports like soccer to really stay fit.”

Another team player Neetu Tomar said, “This tourney was also meant to convey the message of wearing a saree with elan. This event has proved that saree isn’t just traditional wear, but comfortable wear to play soccer with consummate ease and do anything else with elan.”

Organized under the joint banner of Gwalior Municipal Corporation and the Senior Member Association of Junior Chamber International (an international non-profit NGO), the tourney not only saw trophies for the top three teams, but each member of the eight participating teams went home with a gift.

Besides that, there were special prizes for best player, best goalkeeper, and best goal in saree while the septuagenarian Daljit Singh Mann was honoured with the Golden Lady trophy.      

“Wear Saree and Stay Fit were the guiding themes of the tourney, which we’ve achieved. Though the next edition of the tourney is still a year away, women from other districts of the region, including Datia district, have already approached us for entry in the next edition. We may see a bigger Goal In Saree tourney next time, where not only teams from Gwalior district, but other districts will turn this district-level tourney into a state-level event,” Anjali Gupta Batra added. 

<br> BHOPAL: It was a Bend It Like Beckham moment but in saree in Madhya Pradesh’s Gwalior over the last five days.

While devotees across the country were offering special prayers to Goddess Durga and observing fasting as part of the ongoing Chaitra Navaratri, the Stree Shakti (women power) were donning a different role at the MLB College Ground in Gwalior.

At least 96 women (mostly married), including housewives, school and college teachers and even those engaged in making pickles and papad – all while wearing sarees — tried their luck with football at the ‘Goal In Saree’ tourney organized on Saturday and Sunday, after three practice days.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

“This was the second edition of the tourney, where after three practice days, two main match days were organized on Saturday and Sunday. Unlike, the inaugural edition of the tourney held in 2022 when just four teams from Gwalior had participated, this year there were eight teams from the Gwalior district, out of which Orange or the Tulip team and the Red or the Sherni team battled for the top honours on Sunday. Eventually, it was the Orange team which won the title by a solitary goal,” tourney’s main organizer and Gwalior-based social activist Anjali Gupta Batra said.

The saree-clad wives at the football tourney in MLB College Ground, Gwalior

The unique aspect of the tourney was that not only did all women play football while wearing saree, but possibly none of them had ever played the competitive sport in the past. These saree-clad women players were aged between 20 years to 72 years, with the oldest of them being 72-year-old Daljit Singh Mann.

Excited over playing the game in a saree, Queen-Team Blue’s captain Preeti Gupta said, “The tourney has drawn home the point to all housewives that merely indulging in domestic chores isn’t going to make you fit. Instead, you’ll have to daily practice Yoga and play sports like soccer to really stay fit.”

Another team player Neetu Tomar said, “This tourney was also meant to convey the message of wearing a saree with elan. This event has proved that saree isn’t just traditional wear, but comfortable wear to play soccer with consummate ease and do anything else with elan.”

Organized under the joint banner of Gwalior Municipal Corporation and the Senior Member Association of Junior Chamber International (an international non-profit NGO), the tourney not only saw trophies for the top three teams, but each member of the eight participating teams went home with a gift.

Besides that, there were special prizes for best player, best goalkeeper, and best goal in saree while the septuagenarian Daljit Singh Mann was honoured with the Golden Lady trophy.      

“Wear Saree and Stay Fit were the guiding themes of the tourney, which we’ve achieved. Though the next edition of the tourney is still a year away, women from other districts of the region, including Datia district, have already approached us for entry in the next edition. We may see a bigger Goal In Saree tourney next time, where not only teams from Gwalior district, but other districts will turn this district-level tourney into a state-level event,” Anjali Gupta Batra added.