Originally posted in The Business Standard on 6 March 2022
When Leky Chakma first started playing cricket, she kept it a secret from her family. She had to walk a few kilometres to reach Rangamati Cricket Academy for practice every day. And when she got caught, she would get beaten by family members. There were hardly any facilities or proper cricket equipment either.
But giving up on her dreams was never an option for her. And she eventually made a name for herself by booking a spot in Bangladesh women’s U-19 team last year.
“Leky is a fearless cricketer. She has worked hard from the beginning, she even played with boys whenever she got the chance. And against all the odds she has reached the national level, this is only the start for her,” Leky’s local trainer Telent Chakma told The Business Standard (TBS).
Her journey is inspirational and in most cases quite similar to what the majority of ethnic minorities go through when they take sports as a passion and profession: finding success despite numerous struggles.
A large number of athletes from ethnic minorities have represented Bangladesh over the years. They’ve bagged national awards and international trophies in various sports. But the question remains – has it been enough? Could there be more notable figures from the community to enlighten our national sports had they been provided with the proper opportunity to flourish?
From Barun Bikash to Sura Krishna Chakma – The shining stars
The hill tracts have probably given the most to the women’s football team in the recent past. Bangladesh women’s football team recently won their maiden Saff championship and the team had a number of players from the hill tracts including the most valuable player and the best goalkeeper of the tournament.
Monika Chakma, Ritu Porna Chakma, and Rupna Chakma are the most common faces on the side.
Monika assisted the all-important first goal in the final against Nepal and she was named the most valuable player of the tournament.
Ritu Porna scored two goals in the tournament.
But goalkeeper Rupna Chakma probably played the most important part among them all. She was named the best keeper of the tournament, conceding just one goal in five matches.
