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'Today when I see them talking to people from different countries confidently, I realise that education does not come from classrooms alone but from life experiences too.'
You may wonder what the connection is between a physical education school teacher in a small town in Wayanad and India's women's cricket team.
It was because of the efforts of this one teacher that Wayanad has been able to give two national cricketers today.
In fact, half of the Kerala state women cricketers are her 'children'.
There was a time every school girl in Kerala, especially those in the rural areas wanted to be another P T Usha.
Athletics was a part of the lives of the schoolgirls in Kerala like wrestling is in Haryana.
Cricket was never a sought-after sport among the girls of Kerala. More so in a very rural area like Wayanad.
It was from such a scenario that this passionate and dedicated sports teacher made Wayanad the cradle of women's cricket in Kerala.
The drive started when her daughter did not get selected for the Kerala cricket team. (It is another matter that the daughter is one of the selectors of the Kerala women's cricket team today.)
"I am happy that people introduce me as the teacher of Minnu Mani and Sajana," K M Elsamma, the retired physical education teacher from Wayanad, tells Shobha Warrier/Rediff.com.
Cricket was just another game she played...
I grew up in a village near Kozhikode where girls playing cricket was unheard of.
After pre-degree, I went to study physical education at the government physical education college in Kozhikode. That was way back in 1981-1982
As a student of physical education, we have to learn all the games that we are supposed to teach children, and that includes cricket too.
When I was a student, I had no special inclination towards cricket, rather like all the other girls in Kerala, my love was for athletics.
It was there that for the first time in my life, I learnt to play cricket and I played for the university team as a batter.
Playing cricket was just a small part of learning the game. We have to learn the rules of the game and also how to officiate.
After taking the diploma, I joined the Government School at Manathavady in Wayanad district as the physical education teacher.
Interestingly, while we taught all the games to the boys, there was only athletics for the girls.
Her daughter's interest in cricket made her closer to the game...
I would not have taken any interest in cricket if not for my daughter, Anumol Baby.
There is also an interesting story behind how she started playing cricket.
Since the government had provided all the teachers with quarters to stay which was close to the school ground, the children of all the teachers who stayed there used to play cricket in the school playground. But only boys.
My son used to play cricket with the other boys. But there were not enough boys to form a team.
So, he used to take his sister with him. And she was the only girl playing cricket with the boys.
That was how she was introduced to cricket. Soon, my son found out that she bowled and batted better than the other boys. He used to come and tell me that she was very good.
Unfortunately, she couldn't play cricket at the school level as there was no team.
In school, she concentrated on shot put and hammer throw though she was crazy about cricket.
When she got admission at the sports school in Kannur, she applied to play cricket for the Kannur team and got selected.
Though she was an all-rounder, she shone as a medium pacer more.
Those days (2004-2005) there was no women's cricket academy in Kerala.
I must admit we never thought she would be a state level cricket player.
When she was a degree student, she played for the university and also for Kerala state.
In 2008-2009, when BCCI recognised women's cricket, the Kerala Cricket Association started women's cricket tournaments.
For the first time, women cricketers were offered match fee and prize money. Till then, we spent money from our pocket to play cricket.
At that time, my daughter was shuttling between different districts as there was no women's cricket team for Wayanad.
When the selection for the Kerala team happened, all the districts went with their students. Since Wayanad did not have a team, we went there as individuals.
The disappointing fact was that my daughter who was playing not just for the University but for the Kerala team from 2004-2009 did not get selected. The reason: she did not represent any district.
We were disappointed, distraught and depressed at such an outcome.
The bus journey that made them take a crucial decision...
As we were going back, we took a major decision -- that Anumol would not play for different districts anymore, and that we would form a cricket team in Wayanad, and she would play for Wayanad.
I called the district sports secretary and asked him whether I could go ahead with the idea. He was more than happy and promised all support.
I decided to train those schoolgirls who were already in athletics, and also try to get more girls from the region.
Remember these girls had absolutely no idea about a game called cricket having not touched or seen a cricket bat or ball.
We had no money to buy all the cricket gear for the children, so we used the pad, gloves, etc used by my daughter.
One young man who helped me immensely to train these girls was Shahnavaz.
So, early in the morning, Anumol, Shahnavaz and I trained the girls in the school ground.
That was how it all began.
Finally, Wayanad has a cricket team for girls!
The first Kerala state level match as Wayanad district team was in Kozhikode, and we lost all our matches.
But then it was a unique experience for these girls who were all from very poor tribal areas.
They were children studying in the 8th and 9th standards having not gone out of the village till then.
It was the first time in their life that they crossed the mountain pass on their way to Kozhikode and what they saw was a totally new world!
The parents of these girls trusted me with their daughters. In fact, my role was not just that of a coach or a teacher; I had to be their mother also.
Even though we lost all the matches, the experience of playing in a ground and seeing other teams play, they were charged to work harder and conquer more territories.
Going to the capital of Kerala, travelling by train and seeing an aeroplane!
Next year (in 2010), the matches were held in Thiruvananthapuram.
I cannot describe the excitement the girls had when they first got into the train.
I could see their unbound happiness when they ran from one compartment to another, when they looked out of the window to see the world passing by.
It was for the first time in their lives that they stayed in a hotel and had food from a restaurant.
It was a totally different experience travelling as a cricket player and travelling as an athlete.
The most interesting thing that happened was when they were on the ground playing the first match, an aeroplane flew by and these girls just stood there looking up at the sky in wonder, forgetting that the match was going on.
The picture of these girls looking up with their mouths open, and one of the girls forgetting to field the ball, was big news in the newspapers the next day.
Touched by their innocence, many people came forward to take them to the airport so that they could see the planes at close quarters.
That was when I felt more than the game, more than making them cricketers, we were giving them new experiences in life.
The icing of the cake was, we won against three teams that year -- Alappuzha, Idukki and Pathanamthitta.
With success, more girls wanted to join the cricket team. In fact, by then we had to have selection procedures to choose the final team.
Within a year, when Kerala started cricket academies, two of my students got admission in the academy.
What it meant was, they practised only cricket unlike in the past where they practised athletics and after school, had training in cricket.
Anumol starts playing for Kerala again
Another good thing happened to us personally.
After we formed a Wayanad cricket team, Anumol got selected for the Kerala team and in 2011, became the Kerala team captain too.
From 2011 onwards, Wayanad has been the winners in the Under 19, Under 23 and also the Seniors' tournaments! Our winning stream has not been broken even today.
With five of my children in the Kerala cricket team, half of the Kerala team is from here.
Sajana wins the match for Kerala with a boundary.
Sajana was brought to me quite late, when she was in the 11th standard. Her mother gave me the responsibility to make her a good athlete.
Till then, she was studying at the Dr Ambedkar Memorial Model Residential School at Mananthavady.
We found that more than an athlete, she could be an excellent cricketer, more so a fielder. We were right in this. She is one of the best fielders in the Indian team today.
But that year (2012), she did not get selected for the Kerala team.
In 2013, she was selected. In the match against Hyderabad, when she went into bat, there was one ball remaining and four runs to win for Kerala.
Without showing any nervousness, she hit a boundary and won the match for Kerala. That was Kerala's first win against Hyderabad.
First WPL, and Minnu Mani from Wayanad gets selected.
Minnu Mani was one of our brightest talents and it was when she joined the cricket academy that Sajana came to us.
When Minnu Mani got selected for WPL in 2022, she was the first girl from Kerala to do so.
After the WPL, she got selected for the Indian team, and became the first girl from Kerala to play for India.
We felt so proud of her.
In the 2024 WPL, Sajana and Minnu played for opposing teams
The match on the 5th of March 2024 was very important for us as two of my children were playing, but in opposing teams.
Sajana played for Mumbai Indians and Minnu Mani for Delhi Capitals.
We decided to go to Bengaluru to see the match.
Anumol asked which team I would support as my girls were playing in opposing teams.
I only wanted both of them to play well as they were my children.
Last ball of the match. Mumbai Indians needed 5 runs to win. Sajana was at the crease. She hit it for a 6!
Mumbai Indians won the match, and she remained not out at 24.
I was likely the person who clapped the loudest that day!
After that, Sajana got to play for India in the World Cup.
I am happy that my children call me before every match.
I am also happy that people introduce me as the teacher of Minnu Mani and Sajana.
Today when I see them talking to people from different countries confidently, when I see the way they have picked up so many languages, I realise that education does not come from classrooms alone but from life experiences too.
Feature Presentation: Rajesh Alva/Rediff.com