Over the past ten years, rugby has significantly evolved in Delhi, marking its presence on both national and international stages through the commendable performances of its men and women athletes. Originating in 1892 within the exclusive realms of British and Indian nobility in the capital, rugby has undergone a remarkable transformation since the 21st century began. It has broadened its reach beyond elite echelons, embedding itself into the broader social fabric of Delhi’s populace. Neha Pardeshi, the General Secretary of the Rugby Association of Delhi, highlights this shift as a “grassroots revolution,” showcasing rugby as a vehicle for social change and inclusivity, effectively dismantling traditional barriers and uniting diverse community groups through the sport.
Delhi’s Rugby Revolution
Delhi’s juvenescence are progressively venerating rugby, engendering the expansion of indigenous coteries and endeavours purposed at bolstering this burgeoning fascination. The sport’s embracing ethos is fostering concord and synergism, influencing not solely participants but also the expansive community beneficially. The inauguration of the Rugby Association of Delhi (RAD) in November 2019, with the endorsement of the Indian Rugby Football Union (IRFU), has accorded a structured scaffold for rugby within the metropolis. Per Akshay Basrur, the IRFU’s marketing and communications overseer, the genesis of RAD has metamorphosed Delhi into a nexus for one of Bharat’s most effervescent and combative rugby cultures. This progression has catapulted Delhi’s syndicates and provincial teams to eminent accomplishments in national contests, with a multitude of players advancing to epitomize Bharat on an international stage.
Expanding Rugby’s Reach
Rugby’s augmentation within the province initially germinated from the endeavors of four avant-garde collectives: the Delhi Hurricanes, Delhi Rebels, Delhi Lions, and Delhi Wolves. With the constitution of the provincial corpus, conforming to criterions delineated by the IRFU and the National Sports Codex, the sport’s proliferation has transitioned to the grassroots stratum, expedited by prefecture-level conglomerations.
Now, sextet prefecture associations constituted by the provincial corpus are at the vanguard of rugby’s cultivation throughout educational institutions, communal aggregations, clubs, and academies. Presently, nonet districts actively engage in provincial-level rugby tournaments spanning assorted age brackets, inclusive of U-14, juvenile, and elder classifications. Rugby has additionally been interwoven into the syllabi of 25 educational institutions across quintet zones by the Directorate of Education, Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi. These educational institutions dispatch teams to the National School Games’ rugby contests at the U-14, U-17, and U-19 echelons for both lads and lasses, as underscored by Basrur.
Challenges and Opportunities
Lately, rugby was showcased at the Delhi Olympic Games 2024, summoning 400 contenders spanning assorted age brackets in initial February. The triumph of Delhi rugby is ascribed to the metropolis’s effervescent club ethos. Despite this, dilemmas such as insufficient infrastructure and scant patron enthusiasm present considerable hurdles. Confronting these could markedly ameliorate the sport’s biosphere. Underlining the significance of communal involvement, there’s an appeal to widen outreach to academies and local conglomerates to amplify engagement across all tiers.
Women Transforming Delhi’s Rugby Scene
The transformation of Delhi’s rugby scene has been profoundly marked by the increased involvement of women. Arun Tangi, coach of the Delhi Hurricanes club, highlights how women’s participation not only enriches the game with their physical prowess and skills but also embodies resilience, strength, and equality. They break down gender stereotypes, showcasing the empowering nature of sports.
The Delhi Hurricanes set a precedent in 2011 by establishing the first women’s rugby team, spurred by an initiative led by Riya Bisht, a current India rugby player and the daughter of the team’s Head Coach, Kuldeep Singh Bisht. Riya and her friends’ casual interest in rugby quickly blossomed into a serious commitment, illustrating the growing enthusiasm and expanding community of women rugby players in Delhi.
A Testament to Dedication and Growth
Bisht, the mentor of the Hurricanes, initially harbored reservations regarding the feasibility of females engaging in rugby. Nonetheless, his perspective underwent a transformation upon observing their fervor and earnestness—attributes that eclipsed those of their male counterparts. He now extols the triumphs of his female charges, recognizing the gratification derived from their prowess in the sport. The endeavor to enlist pupils from public academies unveiled that lasses exhibited superior discipline and dedication.
Basrur underscores the remarkable ascendancy of women’s rugby in Delhi, with an escalating cadre of female contenders reaching the national echelon. This uptick has been augmented by the sway of veteran competitors like Priya Bansal, Sheetal Sharma, Gomti, and Shikha Yadav, who act as beacons for the ensuing lineage. Priya Bansal, in specific, has registered significant milestones both in the capacity of a contender and an adjudicator on the national and Asian platforms, whilst also rendering her services as a squadron leader and physical education instructress, evidencing the multifaceted roles women assume in propelling rugby forward.
Priya’s Rugby Journey: From Passion to National Recognition
Priya’s odyssey into rugby inaugurated with a colloquium convened by the Delhi Hurricanes in 2011, conducing her affiliation with the consortium. Her fealty and prowess culminated in her conscription for the national rugby encampment in 2013, demarcating the inception of an adamantine allegiance to the sport.
Priya postulates that rugby proffers considerable boons for women, ameliorating cerebral vigor through the synergistic and erudition-abundant milieu of team sports. Initially propelled by unadulterated fervor, she has been a spectator to the sport’s metamorphosis, underscored by proliferating chances for engagement and accolade. In contrast to the nascent epochs of anticipation for a solitary annual contest, enterprises by the School Games Federation of India, IRFU, academies, and Khelo India currently nurture rugby’s expansion on disparate strata.
With rugby acceding to official acknowledgment, the procurability of stipends and governmental employments for contenders has substantially mitigated the trajectory for women to embark upon the sport professionally.
