Megha’s Journey – GK MAD

Megha comes from a small town from Uttrakhand. Girls from her community are supposed to be at home and learn how to be a good homemaker. Although her family moved to Delhi from Uttrakhand years ago, culturally, her parents did not allow her as many freedoms as her brother was given. This anomaly drove a lot of questions in her. But with time, the injustice also manifested a lot of anger and frustration. When she was 10, Megha saw the flying disc in the air and couldn’t resist getting involved. She was welcomed to join in and she became a regular attendee at the practice session.

Initially, there was a lot of resistance from her parents. They were against the idea of her playing a mixed gender sport along with boys. It was a constant battle in her home as her brother was always allowed to play but for Megha it was a matter of the mood of her parents. She would do whatever it takes as a young kid - cry, fight and often go days without eating - so that she could get to play a sport she absolutely loved. Despite getting limited time on the field, Megha still made the best of every opportunity she got. With her hardwork and determination, she outshone every other teammate of hers. She was selected for the Indian team to represent in the Asia Oceanic Ultimate & Guts Championships (AOGUC) where the team won a bronze medal in 2019 in Shanghai, China. She was also selected to captain the first ever U20 Indian Girls team that was to compete in Malmö, Sweden in the World Junior Ultimate Championship (WJUC) 2020. Unfortunately the tournament got cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. She has also been the captain of GK Mad and has been leading the team brilliantly.

She is vocal in safeguarding equal rights on the field and does not let the norms of society creep in. She stands up against any social injustice that she sees and is an ardent educator on the same. Megha aspires to work with Y-Ultimate as a youth coach after completing her school and meanwhile pursue her college education.