Joining Playquity
During the host organization matching phase of Banyan Impact Fellowship, I was introduced to Playquity and its larger vision. This was my first real introduction to Playquity. Playquity is a Pudiyador project that works towards promoting gender equity through play, with a strong focus on life skills development of girls using Ultimate Frisbee as a medium. The program empowers adolescent girls by building not only athletic skills, but also confidence, empathy, communication, and leadership. Through this journey, girls grow into strong and independent coaches who go on to foster gender equity within their own communities. At its core, Playquity envisions a transformative environment where women in rural India can thrive personally, professionally, and socially through the power of sports, education, and community engagement.
As I listened to all of this during the first introduction call, I felt an instant sense of connection. The ideas felt familiar, easy to relate to, and deeply resonant. Everything seemed to make sense without effort, perhaps because my sports memories quietly surfaced, making the connection feel natural and immediate.
Some Sports Memories
As I began working more closely with Playquity, I interacted with adolescent girls from different Playquity cohorts across rural areas of Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Rajasthan. During the interactions, the initial sense of connection deepened further. My first month was largely about understanding the Playquity project, its approach, its values, and the people who bring it to life. The project is thoughtfully designed to make girls’ and young women’s lives safer, stronger, and more self-directed. It recognizes that many girls grow up navigating gendered restrictions, trauma, and limited choices that often limit their confidence and sense of agency.
I began to see reflections of the girl I once was. I was reminded of the time back in 2011, when I chose to learn Karate for the first time. At that time, martial arts were only beginning to enter a few schools in Kerala, and there were hardly any girls joining, at least in my small world. Gender based restrictions and limitations were very real.
Despite this, I chose to continue learning martial arts and remained consistent with it for the next eight years. I found myself thinking of that young girl who joined karate training, initially to challenge every “no” she encountered. I recollected how martial arts played a key role in my physical and mental growth. Over time, it became much more than just a sport for me. I could recall the many days when I had to gather strength, sometimes pretending confidence, sometimes truly finding it, often standing alone, yet never ashamed of being the only girl in the room. Martial arts brought values into my life long before I had words for them. It helped me step out of norms that limited my growth and quietly supported me in becoming who I am growing into.
The Purpose Itself
Working with Playquity brought back memories I had almost forgotten, or perhaps memories I had learned not to revisit. I know that I had never truly lost them. They had always lived within me as emotions that quietly shaped me. Over time, they remained buried, either because they were difficult to sit with or because life moved forward and those experiences no longer felt relevant to speak about every day. Many of those gendered experiences were undeniably traumatic. Yet coming to Playquity allowed me to return to those memories with clarity, compassion, and purpose.
It also reminded me of something important. While things have changed for me, they have not changed for everyone and everywhere. Many girls still face challenges similar to, or in different ways, from what I experienced 15 years ago. Playquity helped me reconnect with those memories for growth, understanding, and fraternity. Now, I know why I already belonged to Playquity. I understand why I am here and what my purpose within this community truly is.
