Opinion | Girl’s in Kabbadi

“In kashmir, a girl playing kabbadi isn’t just showing strength…..she’s Telling society,quietly but clearly,that she won’t stay behind anymore.

Kabaddi has always been treated as a rough hard-hitting sport, a game that demands strength, reflex, and the courage to jump into a circle where every second tests your willpower. For decades, in Kashmir, the sport carried a masculine identity, nobody imagined girls participating, let alone excelling. People often laughed at the idea of girls playing Kabaddi, as if it belonged only to a different world. But stories change, slowly at first, and then suddenly. And in Kashmir, the story of girls’ Kabaddi has taken a shape that even a few years ago felt impossible.
Today, when one travels through different districts of the Valley, especially schools and youth sports grounds, there is something clearly new in the air. You can see girls tying their shoelaces tightly, stepping into dusty fields, forming circles, laughing nervously, and then, for a moment, turning fierce as soon as a raid begins. It is not symbolic anymore. It is not a gesture. It is a growing movement. A very real shift.
A huge part of this change began post-abrogation, when administrative overhaul led to more organised, frequent, and district-level tournaments being conducted under the Youth Services & Sports Department. Whatever one thinks politically, the fact is that after 2019, the number of girls’ sports events especially Kabaddi increased across districts. More zonal competitions, more inter-school events, more UT-level tournaments. With more events comes more participation, and with participation comes confidence.
In April 2025, a Zonal Level Girls Kabaddi Tournament was held under the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao initiative. More than 180 girls participated, and almost forty YSS officials supervised the event. It was not just a tournament, it was a collective statement that girls in Kashmir are rewriting boundaries. Watching those young players take their positions on the mat was like watching a new chapter unfold. Some girls came with nervousness, some with bold confidence, but all of them came with determination. When the whistle blew and the raids began, you could see how much they wanted to prove, not to the world, but to themselves.
And while players are breaking barriers on the mat, women are also stepping into leadership roles around the sport. One of the strongest examples is Nahida Nabi from Sopore,Nahida Nabi’s journey in sports has been built slowly, honestly, and with the kind of grind people rarely see. She completed her Masters in Physical Education, earned her NSNIS diploma in Bangalore, and even added a certificate course from the Sports Authority of India in Patiala to sharpen her edge. She went back to Bangalore for a refresher course because she never believed in stopping at enough. Nahida cleared the national referee exam in Rajasthan, passed the AKFI requirement, and recently qualified the UT-level referee exam with an A grade. These aren’t just lines on a CV, they’re years of early mornings, long travel, training, and a stubborn belief that a girl from here could stand in the centre of a kabaddi court and hold her ground.Nahida Nabi’s brother has always been her pillar of support. He understood her dreams and stood by her through every difficult moment. During training and exams, his emotional and financial support was crucial for her. His encouragement helped Nahida advance in her journey and become the first female Kabbadi referee from Sopore.
Her presence is significant — it shows that the sport is not only growing in participation but also in female leadership. When girls see a woman refereeing matches or guiding teams, it quietly tells them that Kabaddi belongs to them just as much.
This shift is not limited to one zone. In October 2025, Rajouri hosted an Inter-Divisional UT-Level Girls Kabaddi Tournament for Under-14 and Under-19 players. Teams from multiple districts took part. These are not small steps. These are defining footsteps for a region where girls’ sports participation used to depend on luck rather than structure. And it is not just places like Rajouri or Doda — even North Kashmir districts like Baramulla, Bandipora, and Kupwara have started creating their own girls’ teams. In the 2025 Varmul Gindo Sports Festival, the girls’ Kabaddi final featured teams from Shadipora and Handwara. The crowd cheered for them the same way it cheers for boys’ matches — and that is how change looks slight, but powerful.
But perhaps the strongest sign that girls’ Kabaddi is not merely improving but truly rooting itself in Kashmir comes from the players who rise beyond local tournaments and reach national platforms. Among them, Sunaina Gulzar from Pulwama stands out as a real symbol of this new era. In June 2025, she was selected to represent Jammu & Kashmir in the Under-18 Girls category at the 1st Youth National Kabaddi Championship. Her selection is not a coincidence or a favour — it is a result of discipline, resilience, and the strong courage to fight against stereotypes.
A very interesting shift is also happening at the community level. Earlier, many Kashmiris saw girls playing Kabaddi with surprise — some with hesitation, some with doubt. But now, the same people pause and watch with admiration. In rural areas, elders gather near playgrounds and quietly gesture in approval. In towns, parents proudly record their daughters raids on their phones. Conversations in mohallas have changed, instead of questioning why girls should play, people now discuss how good some of them are becoming. This acceptance did not come overnight, but today, the local mindset is far more encouraging. In kashmir,girl’s kabbadi is slowly becoming accepted instead of seen as something strange , it is also seen as a symbol of confidence, discipline, and progress.

Sunaina’s story is not told in big headlines, but it lives in the pride of her family and the inspiration she gives to other girls in her district. Her journey is proof that opportunity and talent, when they meet, can create moments that wave across entire regions. When girls from Pulwama hear Sunaina’s name, they see possibility. And when parents hear it, they realise that Kabaddi can be more than a hobby — it can be a real path.
There is something incredibly moving about watching a girl’s journey from a small playground to a national-level competition. People often say Kashmir lacks sporting facilities, and yes, that is partly true. But despite imperfections, despite limited indoor spaces, despite social hesitation, these girls carve their own spaces. They find time after school, they practise in uneven fields, they play with borrowed kits — and yet, they grow. Their growth is stronger because it is built on struggle.
What makes Kabaddi particularly suitable for Kashmiri girls is the game’s nature it requires teamwork, quick thinking, and raw courage more than fancy infrastructure. A mat, some chalk lines, and a handful of players — that is all it takes to start. Maybe that is why the sport is becoming a genuine favourite. Coaches also say that girls show remarkable discipline and adaptability. They listen, they learn faster, and they internalise team spirit deeply.
Post-abrogation, with more exposure and more tournaments, girls’ Kabaddi in Kashmir is no longer a rare sight. Schools now form designated girls’ teams ,some even practice regularly. Parents who once hesitated now show pride. Teachers encourage participation. And communities, slowly but clearly, are shifting their mindset. When a girl completes a successful raid or escapes a tackle, she breaks more than just the defender’s grip — she breaks a stereotype.
Still, everything is not perfect. Many districts face a shortage of female coaches. Some places lack safe grounds. Some girls drop out due to studies, transportation issues, or family pressure. Achievements often go untold because media coverage is limited unless someone reaches a big platform. Districts like Kupwara and Shopian are participating actively, but not many individual names from there have yet appeared in national lists. But participation always comes before glory. And participation is exactly what is growing fast.
When you step back and look at the bigger picture, the landscape becomes clearer Kashmir is experiencing a silent sports revolution among girls, and Kabaddi is at its centre. The sport offers them a space to express strength, to embrace confidence, and to feel ownership over their physicality — something girls are often denied. Kabaddi teaches them what strength really feels like. It teaches them unity. It teaches them their bodies aren’t a burden,they are muscle and fire.
The transformation happening today will become history tomorrow. Years later, when people talk about how girls’ Kabaddi grew in Kashmir, they will mention these early tournaments, these first teams, these young players, and these small but meaningful victories. They will remember that in a time of doubt, girls stepped forward anyway. And they will certainly remember names like Sunaina Gulzar and Nahida nabi who became one of the first visible symbols of this movement.
This is not just a story of sports ,it is a story of society, of girls finding their voices in a game that demands confidence, risk, and power. Kashmiri girls have accepted the challenge — and they are not stepping back. Every whistle that blows in a girls’ Kabaddi match today echoes a quiet revolution across the Valley. And this revolution is only beginning.
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