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Destiny, fate… these are words that are often used on a daily basis during regular conversations. These discussions are usually of a rather grim scenario wherein someone blames her/his luck for not being able to make it big in life.
But then, there are people who fight against the waves to not only see their dreams come true but also help others with theirs. A prime example of this is Priya ‘didi’ and her partner from the Mrida Education and Welfare Society with her work at the Riverside Natural School in Mandla, where the school’s infrastructure sows the seeds of innovation in its students with its rural innovations lab, STEAM lab and a practical approach to teaching which makes it very common to see young students enjoying scratch programming or robotics or building a vacuum cleaner.
There are always ways to help people. Always. And another way it is done at Riverside Natural School is by using the beautiful game of football. Almost every child and teenager plays football in the village.
But it is not just ‘playing’ for the sake of it – it is playing with a purpose, to make it big in the grandest stage of them all. Being a cricket-loving nation, football has been on the backseat for a while now but it seems to be picking up pace finally.
And Mandla is among the places that are contributing a lot to it. Every morning, over 200 young girls play the sport under the supervision of a coach, who ensures proper practice of players.
In a country where women are still not given the same chances as men, Mandla’s beauty lies in the fact that it is the women pioneering the football scene in the area.
It wasn’t always like this, however, as the older generation didn’t have the same opportunities as the current one. However, Mrida Education and Welfare Society and Myntra have given them the platform to fulfil the incomplete dreams of their previous generation.
Myntra provided the school with the official FIFA World Cup matchball - Adidas TelStar 18 - to support everyday training and tournaments. The icing on the cake was the news of an upcoming tournament called Riverside Leagues where schools were expected to field both girls’ and boys’ teams to participate. There were ear-to-ear smiles on the children’s faces at seeing this gift from Adidas and Myntra and the news of the upcoming tournament.
The tournament was a huge success and displayed the power of the beautiful game and how it impacts the lives of people. Through the game of football, we not only feel joy but can also achieve a sense of reckoning and belonging.
And it is because of organisations like Mrida that such feats are possible. The fact that Priya didi actually left her well-to-do corporate job in order to change the lives of people through this foundation just goes to show the dedication some people have in their quest to serve humanity.
Watch the awe-inspiring video here:
