[VoxSpace Life] Aditi Chauhan : Shuttling Between Cities For A Better Future On The Soccer Field

Story Of A Rising Star, Football, World Cup And The Unachieved

Amidst the hullabaloo surrounding FIFA World Cup 2018, it is neither purely nonsensical nor irrelevant to ponder on the question of how long before India will find its legitimate place in the same. History of Indian football involves the colonial Raj, whose status is now however reduced to that of a “newcomer” hopping and struggling to stay in the limelight. Football in India has been lulled to sleep and needs a strong commotion before it could march like a king. What sprouted as a recreational activity for British military men, during the second half of the 19th century, later turned out to be a game that would divide neighbours and adorn streets with life-size flags. Being a resident of Kolkata, I can safely vouch for Mohunbagan and its rise to prominence during its heyday; it came to represent the national spirit, making football a permanent resident of alleys and lanes. The team had already sculpted a place with the football lovers and non-football lovers alike, by defeating the British in the Calcutta Football Ground; the impact of which can be felt even today when talking about the game. Eventually what happened after the defeat is history. The team was held as a better answer than Congress in their strategies and tactics to defeat the Britons. Now decades later, it is truly unfortunate to witness how the status has declined steadily on an international level. As we talk about international football, India, in spite of its glorious past, is hardly mentioned in the conversation. Unluckier are the players who are yet to gain recognition even in their homeland. In this context, let us consider the incredible journey of Aditi Chauhan, who has turned her indulgence into a career option and had never looked back since then.

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Mohun Bagan 1911 IFA Shield Winning Team

Aditi Chauhan- The Knight

Aditi Chauhan, born in 1992, had her share of difficulties and hindrances before she could register herself as a student in Loughborough University, UK with MSc in Sports. The journey from a school kid with a keen interest in basketball to becoming West Ham United’s goalkeeper is rather promising. If you go through her interviews and fan pages you would know that she was equally prodigious in basketball and Karate, which obviously played an integral part in polishing her skills, hand-eye coordination, and the other technicalities involved with the game. It would be rather inconsiderate to casually expound it just as her fate, especially when it is about as enigmatic a figure as Aditi who made her coach envision a different field for her. We will find here another heart-warming tale of Indian parents who differed in their perspective of a successful career and helped their child chase her dreams.

Aditi belongs from a modest family, her father is posted in Kashmir as Inspector General of CRPF, and therefore it would not be wrong to infer that it was under precarious circumstances under which she dreamed of taking sports, as a career option. She stirred media tremendously by being the first Indian woman to reach heights in England doing justice to football’s legacy. Struggling with student’s expenses on an HR1-visa Aditi is competitive in each and every move, thereby scripting new history for herself and the Indian National Team. Aditi is playing against the odds to reach new heights and expects to play at a “better league” and at a “higher standard” as she puts in an interview with BBC. We are proud to see the hope gleaming in her eyes and the support that she had gained from her parents back home, which is of colossal importance for her progress.

Aditi Chauhan is an inspiration to the youth of every nation who are struggling hard to fulfil their dreams, and her story is an amazing infusion of fate and hard work, sheer hard work. Aditi’s devotion to the game is reminiscent of love and glory that the game enjoyed in the yesteryear. The media has pointed out certain loopholes and shortcomings in West Ham United F.C. But,  it is also apparent that there are ground-breaking progressions as well, that have made accommodating international talents like Aditi herself into the team possible. Excellent facilities including training and healthcare system are also at quick disposal of the players. India, at this juncture, needs to bring back the lost faith in the game that people once had when the nation hosted around 125 domestic tournaments on an annual basis.

The Girl Who Dared To Rise Above Mediocrity

Aditi recollects the time she started off as a young player, budding to become an accomplished professional, there were hardly any girls’ football teams in the corner. The same cannot be said now, improvements have been made in that quarter, but international recognition is a far cry for India. India has ranked 97th for men’s football team and 60th for women’s, in FIFA rankings and is lagging behind in promoting tournaments or even recruiting experienced coaches. The men’s rank has nonetheless advanced and India has also amassed huge respect in FIFA U-17 World Cup. This really makes us dream bigger for a better land, where football as a sport is not swept under the frenzy of other more popular ones.

The Scenario Is Bleak But Not Unredeemable

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Aditi Chauhan brings a ray of hope and optimism and believes that football with all its integrity as a sport needs to be promoted in a way that encourages the athletes to play better for their nation. Bringing football into the larger screen is one of the dreams that Aditi harbours and she believes it is a matter of time before India swims against the tide, in a way like her, and carve out a space of honour and admiration for herself. What makes Aditi Chauhan deliver her best on the field with precision and almost mathematical accuracy is her single-minded devotion and knack for reading autobiographies of famous sportsmen, athletes and legends. Sports is no place for mushrooming mediocrity and we sincerely hope we can do more than letting the game slid into darkness and oblivion like it once did, in a pathetic state of comatose.