Deaf women cricketers break silence over systemic challenges and social biases

As dawn breaks Nida Zabi Shaikh 32 prepares for cricket practice at Nehru Nagar Ground in Kurla Alarms do not serve as her wakeup call The grit to win the Womenrsquos Deaf Premier League 2024 propels her to rise early in the morningsShaikh along with six deaf womens cricket teams have gathered at the Police Gymkhana Cricket Ground Marine Lines to compete for the winnerrsquos trophy at this fourday league In a bid to nurture diversity and inclusion for hearingimpaired female cricketers ndash the Serum Institute of India Cyrus Poonawalla Group has organised the womenrsquos T10 cricket tournamentAt the cricket ground one can feel the pulse of the highoctane matches Using sign language Chaitra BN the Captain of Bangalore Badshahs tells Midday ldquoWe are thrilled to participate Despite initial nervousness ndash the opening match was incredibly actionpackedMumbai emerged as the winner under Shaikhrsquos captaincy in the opening match between Mumbai Stars and Bangalore Badshahs Post the match as we sat down to delve further into their practice and challenges distressing realities came to the surfaceRape at Schools for Deaf and DumbDeaf women have been subjected to heinous violations of integrity and an infringement of their fundamental right to consent in one of the sign language training schools in Kurla name undisclosed at requestldquoSome of my classmates have been raped by teachers on the school premise And because we are deaf and dumb ndash we lack the agency to open up and seek helprdquo reveals Shaikh in sign language translated by the mediatorAn undue advantage is being taken in the classrooms which are meant to empower deaf women with a medium to express themselves Whatrsquos appalling is the fact that the perpetrators are the very people appointed to educate and enable these hearingimpaired womenWhy is it not being reported we askldquoSome girls are not aware of what is happening to them Often the parents are also unable to comprehend or explain what rape is Additionally many certified teachers in these schools are not welltrained in sign language As a result ndash these crimes go unreported and we live with the shame silentlyrdquo she addsChaitrarsquos parents were never in agreement with her pursuing cricket as a career She recounts the episode when her parents questioned her ability as a deaf person ldquoYou are deaf and have no speech What if something happens to you ndash nobody would come to knowrdquoConcerns expressed by Chaitras parents gain credibility in light of such incidents Violations of dignity not only pose a threat to womens safety but also create an environment that discourages potential sports enthusiastsThese ghastly accounts shed light on the grave injustice being faced by deaf women It demands the urgent need for awareness education and support within this vulnerable demographic It also sheds light on the credibility of stateappointed unqualified and immoral teachers who continue to subject deaf girls to sexual and physical abuseSocial and familial ostracisationThe players stand united and lend a sense of camaraderie that goes beyond their immediate teams at the tournament Perhaps this sisterhood arises because of the collective experiences shared by the hearingimpaired populaceWhen it comes to their dreams and aspirations they often face skepticism from parents and society due to mistrust and a lack of communicationKajal Dhawan 45 who heads the Delhi Bulls team opens up about the discrimination she had to endure while pursuing cricket in school With the aid of an interpreter she reveals how she was fascinated by cricket but was denied a spot on the school teamTo her rescue she met Sumit Jain the president of IDCA who is one of the organising members of the T10 Womenrsquos Deaf Premier League 2024 Jain is a revolutionary figure who has been empowering deaf women to overcome obstacles and pursue their dreams of playing sportsWith his help Dhawan found her footing in cricket and since then has never looked back However several deaf women continue to face inequalities when it comes to playing cricket with lsquonormalrsquo people as they put itJulie the 20yearold captain of Hyderabad Eagles tells Midday ldquoDuring practice I was always led on to believe that I will get to play on the team However I never really got a chance to play with normal people owing to my deafnessrdquoNot only in school but at home as well their credibility as cricketers is dismissed ldquoMy parents did not consent to the idea of building a career in sports They wanted me to be a teacher and get marriedrdquo reveals ShaikhPratima Mishra 36 heads the UP warriorz team who picked up playing cricket post her marriage as her parents could not afford her passion financially ldquoPostmarriage I navigated this journey myself as my parents continued to discourage me However after playing the sport for 12 years we finally arrived on the same pagerdquoSocial castigation aside these determined women have carved a space for themselves in the world of cricket Despite the roadblocks presented by society they stand united by one dream ndash to represent India internationallyldquoI want to play and win not for myself ndash but for other differentlyabled people who aspire to become sportspersonsrdquo shares Shagun 29 the captain of Punjab LionsInequality and lack of access to resourcesIn their pursuit to play cricket ndash there arises a dire need for players to be equipped with the best of resources But to append their problems ndash they are subjected to unequal opportunities when it comes to getting access to resources and nationalinternational tournamentsShagun cites IPL and asks ndash ldquoIf normal people get to play at the international level ndash why not usrdquo While cricket traditionally remains a maledominated sport Shagun points out how it marginalises women and further in the case of deaf women by excluding them from the gamesMishra adds that regular people get access to the best resources in terms of sports equipment dietary regimes and sports training However when it comes to deaf and dumb people ndash they cannot avail these benefits despite putting in the same amount of hard workAt the genesis of inclusivity lies the sign language When Shagun began playing cricket ndash she faced issues while training with a coach who was not wellversed in sign language The absence of a common mode of communication presented challenges as she could not clarify her doubts or convey her thoughtsldquoWe sometimes miss out on the rules and not learn about our mistakes as the coach does not know sign languagerdquo Shagun shares with Midday It underscores the necessity for coaches to become adept in sign language in order to be inclusive in the training of speciallyabled sportspersonsMs Roma Balwani CEO of IDCA echoes her concerns ldquoIt is a career growth issue for these women who perceive the world differently Their demand to seek equality is legitimate and it is something they always aspire for ndash to play mainstreamrdquoldquoHence our endeavour this year with diversity and inclusion is to focus on their growth and engage all the stakeholders who directly impact this trajectory We want them to have their job security Second they should have pride in their place in society Third they should be given much more opportunities adds Balwani