Photo Credit (BBC NEWS)


Polmi Adhikari was in the middle of a double shift when Atundhara Chakraborty, a social activist who makes documentaries on the lives of ordinary people in Kolkata, stopped her and asked some questions.

Polmi had been at work since six in the morning and was supposed to be off work at one in the afternoon, but she still happily agreed to the conversation.

Polmi, 24, was dressed in a red shirt with 'Zomato' printed on it in white letters and was telling Atendra how she got started with India's largest restaurant food delivery app. However, she was telling that her passion is still football.

She has represented her country in the past in the Indian women's under-16 team at international events. But now the situation is not favorable. His family faced financial difficulties and asked Polmi to find another job.

It was a short interview. Polmi then says goodbye and starts riding her bicycle, on which she delivers food to homes.

By morning, the video had gone viral and people were raising questions on social media as to how a young woman could leave her illustrious career in football to deliver food to people's homes throughout the day in the West Bengal capital.

He wanted to hear the story of Polmi Adhikari.

In the poor suburb of Shub Rampur, south of Kolkata, where Polmi Palli grew up, she is known as 'bulti', meaning 'child of God', a precious gift.

Polmi's mother died when she was two months old and she was raised by her aunt. Polmi's father, who occasionally drives a taxi, is able to meet his family's financial needs to some extent.

At the age of seven, Polmi learned that local boys were playing football in a nearby playground. Polmi also started playing football with him.

Polmi used to wear shorts, so those who played with her thought that Polmi was a boy.

"When they found out that I was a girl, the families of these boys started complaining to the management of the ground and then to my aunt," Polmi told the BBC.

At first Polmi was shocked by his complaints.

"I was very depressed and would run every day back home because I was obsessed with sports," Polmi said.

Polmi's aunt said that she would find a way to make his dream come true and arranged for some lechers. Polmi was delighted and soon became the center of attention of Anita Sarkar, a local football coach.

Under Anita's guidance, Polmi played for a girls' team in the Kolkata Football League. When she was 12 years old, she was selected for India's under-16 team.

They formed deep friendships and soon began to get all the opportunities they had dreamed of. None of his family had traveled on the ship. But soon they were taking long flights with their unassuming friends to compete in international competitions. Now she could play the game she liked.

"When I wore the Indian jersey and represented India at such a young age, it was the best moment of my career," he said. .

In 2013, she traveled to Sri Lanka, where Polmi participated in qualifying matches for the South Asian Football Federation Women's Junior Championship.

In 2016, he traveled to Glasgow to participate in an international street football tournament in connection with the 'Homeless World Cup'. She says she was paid around $100 per match.

But despite this, difficulties were faced.

A major setback occurred in 2018, when Polmi suffered a leg injury that required several operations and bed rest. She says she recovered enough to play at an 'elite level' again, but another problem prevented her from returning to the sport.

His family needed money. His elder sister had married and moved away and Polmi had to help run the household.

Polmi's elder sister moved to her new house after marriage and now the responsibility of non-maintenance of the rest of the family fell on Polmi's shoulders.

Now Polmi abandoned her football dream and started working odd jobs to support her family within months. In 2020, at the height of the coronavirus epidemic, more and more people started ordering food at home and Polmi was now a regular part of the team that delivered food to people's homes.

These days she completes her work by one o'clock. It is very tiring work and it doesn't even give them a chance to practice. Polmi now earns about 300 rupees ($3.60) a day while working double shifts of more than 15 hours.

"If I get a decent paying job where I can work eight to 10 hours, I can easily spare three to four hours for my football," he says

When the video went viral, Polmi was offered a coaching job, but the place was 40 km from her home and she could earn less than at Zomato.

She says there is a lack of will in the country and perhaps the world to invest in women's sports.

According to Polmi, "If we talk about India and compare men's and women's football, many people generally don't watch or care about women's football at all."

According to him, "Similarly with cricket, I have seen people taking leave from their jobs to watch a men's cricket match but they don't care much about a women's cricket match." Therefore, women are generally neglected in sports.

Polmi still has hopes that she can play professionally with proper support.

She doesn't have the right international channels to follow all women's football on her TV but she is a fan of American player Alex Morgan. She also loves Ronaldinho.

On January 7 this year, the All India Football Federation released a roadmap called Vision 2047 with the aim of developing Indian football. The federation's 2026 target calls for more investment in women's football, including targets such as providing a minimum wage for female players.

"She hopes that this vision will come true," Polmi says. There are a lot of polemics around, struggling like me.'