Mumbai: For decades, the Mohammed Hussain playground near YMCA at Madanpura in central Mumbai has been a male domain. Surrounded by skyscrapers dwarfing a few old bungalows, the dusty ‘tikona’ (triangular) maidan has helped make Madanpura the hub of so many famous football players that it has earned the crowded neighborhood the nickname ‘mini-Brazil.’ Unsurprisingly, all the soccer ‘stars’ here so far have been men.
Cut to the present. A dozen or so hijab-clad girls from Madanpura hit this ground thrice a week to learn ‘the beautiful game.’ Amid the raging hijab row, these hijabi girls have kicked the inhibitions that stopped their mothers’ generation from entering what was thought of as the “male arena.”
Ninth grader Nashra Sheikh plays basketball too. But football, she says, is different. “Football teaches us discipline, the value of team work and the courage to face challenges. We play wearing a hijab, and it is not a crime to cover one’s head while we play with feet,” says Sheikh.
This story is from the February 20, 2022 edition of The Times of India Hyderabad.
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This story is from the February 20, 2022 edition of The Times of India Hyderabad.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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