By Shiny Hoque:
Neha Pardeshi is India’s women’s Rugby team captain and also one of the #WonderGirls in Varsha Adusumilli’s recently launched book ‘Wonder Girls – Success stories of millennials who fought to do it their way’. Published by Juggernaut, the book features 15 millennial women and Neha is one of them. She was laughed at when she expressed her desire to be a Rugby player – “Is this a joke? You’re so tiny! How’ll you play this beast of a sport?” were harsh comments targeted at Neha.
She slayed all negative comments to be a Rugby player. While the young generation is in dilemma about sports as a career choice, Neha was clear and determined in her decision. Although stories come in news channels and newspapers, women hardly get a chance to know the real experience of their role models and that’s exactly what happened at SHEROES Aspiring Writers’ community for women only. We were extremely lucky to get Neha Pardeshi onboard to chat with us for an hour.
Excerpts from the tete-a-tete…
Yashmita: Hi Neha! How and when did you start playing Rugby?
Neha: Hi Yashmita! I started playing Rugby when I was 15. One of the coaches from the Pune Rugby Club, Mr. Surhud Khare spotted me in my school and asked me to join Rugby. I was a national level athlete, handball player, fencer, and a skipping player, but when I saw how Rugby was played, I fell in love with the game and didn’t look back.
Shiny: Taking up a career in sports must’ve been a tough decision to make. Did you get the support of your family from the very beginning?
Neha: Yes! There were times when my parents asked me questions about why I’m still playing Rugby when it doesn’t give me any monetary support, but when they saw the passion and the love for the game in my eyes, they understood what playing Rugby meant to me. I also worked when I wasn’t playing and earned my bread and butter from there.
Anubhuti and Pooja: Do you think leading and captaining is a ‘man’s job’? What’re the challenges you face as a woman in the sports area? Do you see gender inequality or are they encouraging enough?
Neha: Rugby is one sport where you won’t see any gender inequality. All the Rugby tournaments, right from the district games to the World Cup, are organised for men and women on the same field and with the same facilities. No! I haven’t seen or felt any gender inequality in Rugby.
Anonymous member: Do you think Indian parents are open towards sports as a career?
Neha: Some Indian parents still think that sports aren’t a happening career option in India. However, after the awareness that has been created, the thought is slowly changing and parents are realising that an engineer or doctor can also end up being unemployed.
Punam: Hello ma’am! My daughter is your biggest fan. Can you please start some academy for students who want to play Rugby? She wants to play Rugby, but in Ludhiana there’s no scope for this kind of game. I wish I could take my daughter to meet you.
Neha: I have an academy in Pune. I would love to meet your daughter too. Please give my regards to her. Punjab has a good presence of Rugby and the universities there offer free education to players who play Rugby.
Merril: You said you fell in love with Rugby. What was it about this sport that made it different from the rest? What stood out?
Neha: Merril, Rugby’s the only sport that teaches you the values and principles like respect, solidarity, teamwork, passion, and integrity. No other sport has taught me any of the above, right from the first day I started playing the game. The fact is, each time you get tackled, you need to get back up and go again. This is what Rugby taught me and that is exactly what life teaches you too.
Bhawana: Hello Neha! My daughter is 12-years-old. She plays football. Recently she played in Bharatpur for the Jaipur junior team. Can she switch to Rugby, if she wants? Will she be able to play Rugby since she plays football? Are these two games totally different from each other? What if she wants to learn Rugby?
Neha: Rugby is a combination of all games, Bhawana. Like football, handball, kabaddi, athletics and more. Yes, your daughter can play Rugby. There’re training centres in Jaipur where they teach Rugby.
Nigar: Hi Neha! What according to you is the biggest hurdle for women who want to join sports in India?
Neha: The biggest hurdle is to earn as a professional women athlete in India. For women, not every sport gives you the kind of money male athletes earn.
Sana: As a player what’s the one thing you would want to share with all the upcoming talent in Rugby? Any particular insight?
Neha: The upcoming players just need to keep pushing and going on, in order to make our country proud. Rugby has been included in the AIU (All India University) Games, SGFI (School Games Federation of India) as well as in the Olympics, Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games. I would love to see the grass root players bag a medal in one of the above games.
Trupti : Share one lesson you follow. What keeps you going?
Neha: Every time you fall, get tackled, you need to get back up and go again!
Thanks for the love that you all have given me. I’m very grateful for this. Apologies if I missed answering any questions. I’d request you all to read Wonder Girls. Signing off now, but you all can get in touch with me via Facebook and Instagram or mail me at nehapardeshi10@gmail.com Lots of love and gratitude.
Neha and her love for Rugby are unignorable. Like any profession, sports has its own share of odds and struggles plus mental blocks that act as barriers. Shunning all negativity Neha emerged and how magically she rekindled that spark in the SHEROES Community Chat. The spark to do what you love, to work on your dreams and fight all negativities. SHEROES too is upbeat in motivating young daughters and mothers to go ahead with their passion, no matter what the world thinks. Download the SHEROES app and join such myth-breaking chat sessions by path-breaking women.
After all, a little push, a helping hand, some kind words, and the right information can be stepping stones in a girl’s journey from ordinary to extraordinary!
For more of this power packed and well-received chat session click here
About the author:
I have started the Aspiring Writers’ Community on SHEROES. I love to travel and connect with people. I’m an avid reader, passionate writer and dream of having a small library of my own someday. I believe in the power of the pen more than that of a sword and consider empathy powerful enough to bring change in this world.
