Photo: Anne Pinto-Rodrigues.
Phungbili Basumatary (left) completes a pass during in ultimate Frisbee in Rowmari village, India. She says the sport has allowed her to bond with teammates from different ethnic backgrounds.
The reason I share so many stories from the Christian Science Monitor is that they seek out good news whenever possible. In India, where ethnic violence has grown worse in recent years, a happy kind of game is drawing young people of different faiths together.
Anne Pinto-Rodrigues writes at the Christian Science Monitor, “On a cool Sunday afternoon, a white disc whizzes through the air in Rowmari village, located in the Indian state of Assam. A teenage girl snatches it out of the air, earning applause and supportive whoops from the other players on the field, who all come from different villages.
“The American flying disc game officially known as ultimate – or ‘ultimate Frisbee,’ for those not worried about trademark infringement – was virtually unheard of in this part of the world till a few years ago. But it’s rapidly gaining popularity throughout northeast India. That includes Assam’s Chirang district, where over 30 girls and boys gathered in Rowmari village last December for a coaching session organized by the Action Northeast Trust (ant), a rural development nonprofit. …
“Chirang was not always this idyllic. Starting in the 1980s, the region experienced over two decades of ethno-religious conflict between the majority Bodos, Muslims, and the several other groups. Poverty is rampant, as are gender inequality and child marriage. But ultimate, with its emphasis on self-governance, provides an opportunity to foster peace among Assam’s newest generation.
“Today, 3,500 children and youth from nearly 100 villages participate. …
“ ‘I’ve observed a substantial transformation in the behavior and attitudes of the young people in communities where the [Frisbee] program is active,’ says Dr. Deben Bachaspatimayum, a social activist and teacher of peace studies based in Manipur, another state contending with violence in northeast India.
‘This bottom-up peace-building approach is helping youth discover a society based on equality and justice.’ …
“The region is largely peaceful now, but as recently as 2014, outbreaks of violence in Chirang and neighboring areas left over 100 dead and thousands homeless.
“ ‘After the 2014 conflict, we were looking for something that would bring communities together,’ says Jennifer Liang, co-founder of the ant. “Something girls could get involved in.’ …
“It’s a mixed-gender, noncontact, and relatively new sport, meaning everyone in the community would be building their skills from scratch. The game involves two teams of seven players each, who score points by completing passes. There are no referees – instead, players must communicate with each other to call fouls and resolve conflicts. …
“So in 2015, the ant introduced a very simple version of the game to a cluster of villages known as Deosri that had been struggling with violence. … The league recruits young people between the ages of 11 and 14. Team members all come from the same village and, as a result, tend to be from the same ethnic group. The challenge is learning to work with the opposite gender.
“ ‘Initially in these villages, the boys were skeptical about being in a mixed-gender team,’ says Ms. Liang. ‘In due course, they realized that the girls are equally important.’ …
“Manoranjan players can graduate to the more competitive Rainbow league, where the ant introduces more rules to promote peace building. Each team must include players from a minimum of three different villages, three different ethnicities, and three different mother tongues. … Rainbow sessions end with group discussions on burning social issues like child marriage and suicide. …
“Ms. Ray, who’s part of Durgapur village’s Rajbongshi ethnic group, [said that ultimate came] to the region, ‘there were times we would tell children from other communities or religions not to play with us,’ she says, with great remorse. ‘Now I treat everyone equally.’
“Although ubiquitous in America, Frisbees and other flying discs are available only in one sporting goods store in Assam’s capital city. Ms. Liang hopes that in the future, discs will become available in every village shop, as easy to come by as a soccer ball.
“ ‘My dream is that Frisbee doesn’t remain a nonprofit-led program, but rather something all children can play,’ says Ms. Liang.”
More at the Monitor, here.
Suzanne's Mom's Blog 