From Odisha to Assam: How India's kho kho champions are lighting their families

New Delhi, Oct 16 (IANS) As the lamps of Diwali flicker across India this year, from the tribal heartlands of Odisha to the sandy villages of Rajasthan and the chawls of Pune, some families are celebrating a new kind of Lakshmi Puja, one not marked by gold coins or rituals, but by pride and tears of joy.

Their daughters, once told that sports were no place for women, have become symbols of fortune and empowerment through the game of kho kho.

These young women - Magai Majhi from Odisha, Nirmala Bhati from Rajasthan, Priyanka Ingle from Maharashtra, and Ranjana Sarania from Assam, have rewritten what it means to bring prosperity home.

They are the faces of India’s rise in traditional sports, and in their parents’ eyes, they are the true goddesses of wealth, not for what they earn, but for what they’ve become.

In the tribal village of Kasnadara in Rayagada, Odisha, where fields meet dense forests, the festival of lights was once a modest affair. But this year, diyas will burn brighter in the home of Budhavari Majhi, the mother of 21-year-old Kho Kho World Cup star Magai Majhi.

Budhavari raised Magai single-handedly after her husband’s death when Magai was just a month old. Against the whispers of villagers who doubted the point of sending girls to hostels and sports camps, she stood firm. “In our tribal village, we do not usually celebrate Diwali with grandiose,” she said. “But now it is being celebrated. For me, my daughter is my Lakshmi, and she has made my Diwali special with her achievements. She has brought name and fame to her village, state, and country. My heart fills with pride thinking about her.”

Her pride resonates beyond her doorstep. Today, parents who once questioned her decisions now seek her advice on how to help their own daughters play. Magai, humble in her success, smiles when she says, “Many people from my village and district approach me asking how they can make their daughters like me. It’s really a great compliment.”

Approximately 1600 kilometers away from Odisha in Parewadi village, Rajasthan, Geeta Devi lights a diya near the family’s small shrine. Her daughter, Nirmala Bhati, was once just another girl playing barefoot in the fields. Now she is Rajasthan’s first international kho kho champion and the Best Player of the Tournament at the 2025 Kho Kho World Cup.

“Our lives have changed,” says Geeta Devi, her voice filled with emotion. “Earlier, it was boys bringing glory to the family, but our daughter has brought us fame. In our society, women step out in pardah, but now, after her success, I have seen the changes in perception. One elder said, ‘Daughters like Nirmala are better than a hundred sons.’ What other gift could we ask for this Diwali?”

Her husband, Om Prakash Bhati, a proud father in his seventies, nods in agreement. “We do Lakshmi Puja during Diwali,” he says softly. “But our daughter is our real Lakshmi. She has brought glory to our family and village, and everyone is proud of her. She is an inspiration for other girls who now want to step out of pardah and excel in education and sports.”

Nirmala’s journey, from skepticism to stardom, reflects a quiet revolution unfolding in India’s rural heartlands, where daughters once confined by custom now carry the torch of pride for their communities.

In a small chawl in Dighi, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Savita and Hanumant Ingle prepare for Diwali the traditional Maharashtrian way; with Puran Poli, new clothes, and oil lamps. But this year, the celebration carries a deeper glow. Their 25-year-old daughter, Priyanka Ingle, is not just any kho kho player; she is the captain of India’s World Cup-winning team and one of the country’s most decorated kho kho athletes.

Savita, who runs a small ladies’ item shop, says, “In Maharashtra, we celebrate Diwali with great fervor. We worship Goddess Lakshmi and enjoy special foods like Puran Poli. But for us, our daughter has made our Diwali special. It’s her achievements that have made it possible. My daughter is my Lakshmi. Because of her, our financial condition improved and our status in society also.”

Priyanka’s journey from a chawl to a government office where she now serves as an Income Tax Officer is a testament to resilience and faith. Her father, Hanumant, who runs a modest water purifier shop, adds quietly, “We once worried about her future. Now, people recognize us because of her. What more could a parent ask for?”

Vimala Sarania’s home remains dimly lit this Diwali. Their state mourns the passing of their cultural icon Zubeen Garg, one of the most celebrated figures in the Indian music industry, and festivities have been subdued. Yet for Vimala, her 20-year-old daughter Ranjana, who represented India at the 4th Asian Kho Kho Championship in 2023, brings light of a different kind.

“We are not celebrating Diwali this time,” Vimala says. “But our celebration is on the kho kho ground. We are proud that our daughter plays for India.”

For families like the Saranias, pride replaces pomp. Their daughter’s success, achieved through grit and community support, has inspired girls across Assam’s Bodoland region to pick up the sport.

Across these four states, Odisha, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, and Assam and many more states across India runs a common thread: the idea that empowerment, when born of struggle and belief, is the truest form of worship.

Kho kho, a game once confined to school grounds and village dust, has become a bridge between tradition and transformation. For these families, it is not just a sport, it is a symbol of change, a field where daughters have reclaimed their rightful space in India’s story.

--IANS

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