The Pink Wolf
Shot by Harmeet Basur
Pinky is a 19-year-old girl from a marginalized (kunjar) caste who lives under the Jasola flyover. She is one of the first girls in her community who started playing Rugby at the age of 12. Despite facing significant opposition and even physical violence from her family, she persisted and is now a national player. She secured a 2nd position in Odisha, winning a Silver medal in 2018 and 6th position in 2020, Bihar. Defying cultural norms, she proudly says, that she is the first girl in her community to wear Rugby shorts.
Pinky has been coming to Rafooghar since its inception, although she really didn’t like the idea of sitting and stitching. She was too impatient and initially resistant to embroidery, which she viewed as a traditional female task, but she soon realized that she could use this skill to tell her story (about Rugby) and inspire others.
Pinky is a National Rugby player and also likes to rap and dance. She is a part-time teacher to the children in her communityand and an inspiration to her sisters at home and other girls from her community.
The Pink Wolf is a short stop motion film showcasing Pinky’s journey from working as a garbage picker to becoming a Rugby player told by her through an embroidered book, a rap song and a stop motion animation.
Pinky calls herself the Pink Wolf
रग्बी मैं मेरी पोजीशन स्क्रम हाफ की है
स्क्रम हाफ को मेंटली स्ट्रांग होना पड़ता है, प्रेशर मैं खेलना पड़ता है और बोहत सारे डिसिज़न् लेने पड़ते हैं
मगर एक लीडर भी होना पड़ता है , सबको मोटीवेट करना पड़ता है और सबका ख्याल रखना पड़ता है
इसलिए मैं वुल्फ भी हूँ और कलर पिंक की तरह सॉफ्ट भी हूँ
पिंक मेरे नाम का शार्ट फॉर्म भी है”
मैं लड़की हूँ और लड़कियॉं को तो हमारे देश मैं रग्बी जैसा खेल खेलने को नहीं मिलता
और जहाँ से मैं आयी हूँ वहां तो बिलकुल ही नहीं
मैं चाहती हूँ की बोहत साड़ी लड़कियां और औरतें मुझे खेलता देखें , मेरी कहानी जानें और खुद भी खेलें
मुझे रग्बी से बोहत प्यार है , रग्बी ने मुझे बोहत कुछ दिया है
रग्बी से पहले मेरी ज़िन्दगी कचरे मैं बीत रही थी
रग्बी फील्ड पर मैं आज़ाद फील करती हूँ
मेरी बॉडी लैंग्वेज चेंज हो गयी, मेरा कॉन्फिडेंस बढ़ गया
मैं जब ओडिशा खेल कर आयी तो फ्लाईओवर के नीचे रहने वाले और मेरे घरवाले भी मुझसे अच्छे से बात करने लगे
अब मैं फीयरलेस हूँ
किसी से नहीं डरती |
In rugby, I play as a scrum-half.
A scrum-half has to be mentally strong. I have to play under pressure and make a lot of decisions.But I also have to be a leader. I have to motivate everyone and look after my teammates. That's why I am like a wolf…strong and fearless; but also soft, like the color pink. ‘Pink’ is also a short form of my name. I am a girl, and in our country, girls don't usually get the chance to play a sport like rugby. Where I come from, it was even less possible. I want lots of girls and women to see me play, hear my story, and be inspired to play too.
I love rugby. Rugby has given me so much. Before rugby, my life was spent around garbage. On the rugby field, I feel free.My body language changed. My confidence grew. When I came back after playing in Odisha, even the people who lived under the flyover and my own family started treating me with more respect.
Now I'm fearless. I'm not afraid of anyone.
Some initial sketches by Pinky:
Rap song written by Pinky on her life journey:
We are extremely grateful to Community Craft Circle, Netherlands for supporting Pinky’s film through a seed grant.
About Community Craft Circle, Netherlands
Community craft circle/ ccc gathers to share skills that can be effectively used as tools for material change, creating different languages/techniques of dissent.
we exist to assert a dissenting presence and urging the need for non transactional ways of making, gathering and fundraising, outside institutions and capital generating spaces.
as a consciously anonymous group, we aim to be a safer space for neurodivergent people and their needs.
the craft circle is an instrument for rest, resistance and resilience informed by our cultures and their enormous craft histories and practices.
If you would like to support Pinky’s film too, please write to rafoogharfamily@gmail.com to know about our Support and Solidarity circle- ‘JIGRI DOST’ (best friends forever), where the power to fund exciting and meaningful community ideas belong to you.
