THE JHARKHAND STORY NETWORK
Daltonganj, August 16: Under Community Policing, Manatu police showed the way on Independence Day here in Palamu.
Manatu police held two shows. One a football tournament. The other musical chair for girls and women.
If the football tourney was a stock in trade, musical chair event for girls and women in Manatu was a novel one, credit for which goes to the SP Reeshma Ramesan who asked the OC Manatu Nirmal Oraon to have it for girls and women there.
Game for women by Palamu SP
Speaking to this correspondent late Independence Day night Reeshma Ramesan said “I had this feeling that women and girls would be sitting across the football ground where the match would be held. But what we have for them. They would go home telling only that they watched football match.”
“So I decided to have a musical chair event for them. Red chairs were placed in. In the background was played a Hindi song. Women and girls were quite familiar with the song. But they needed to be told when to sit in the chair and not to do cross run.” added Reeshma Ramesan.
“We most ritually talk about women empowerment and deliver a mouthful of speeches. But when it comes to doing a bit for them, we look the other way. Hence here in Manatu, I decided to have a game for them” SP reiterated.
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SP went on to say “I began lessoning with a little girl about the finer points of the musical chair event. I sat on my bended knees to make the little girl feel at home. She learnt it and enjoyed it.”
A woman elected as panchayat samiti member won the game. Manatu police gifted women participants saree and girls toffees etc.
The musical chair game in fact stole the football thrill nevertheless it pulled a crowd of around 1,000 spectators drawn from nearby to some far-off villages to watch a football match held by the police.
Naxal fear free and peaceful events
It was a sweeping change seen here in Manatu on the Independence Day when a decade ago this Manatu used to have the worst effect of the boycott of the Independence Day celebrations where black flags were put up by the Maoists at almost every government building and sometimes even wall writings against Independence Day were done on the boundary wall of the police station Manatu too!
This 2024 Independence Day it looked “Everyone singing free”. There was joy and peace all around.
No one looked any tense about Naxal popping up during the event. Jharkhand had seen gun fires by the Naxals in football matches. No one has forgotten how Babulal Marandi lost his son in a gunfire launched by the Naxals in a football game ceremony.
If there was any ‘scare’ here in the playground, it was of dark clouds, rains and lightning.
SP Reeshma Ramesan told this correspondent “I was quite conscious about sky and cloud. I was very much clear to ensure no one to be in the playground if rains and lightning lash out.”
Reeshma Ramesan wanted to take no chance at all. She wanted safety first. No adventure of any sort at all.
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A day before 15th August a couple of lives were lost during the hockey match in the rains and lightning in Simdega.
The weather favoured Manatu. It remained a rain free day till the match and show was over.
On being asked if the presence of the women as spectators to the grand gala event was any bigger to which Reeshma Ramesan said “I found scores of women doing sowing paddy in the fields right from Lesliganj to Manatu. It’s a kheti baree time for women. Naturally they have no time for watching kicks and goals.”
Boots and jersey arranged for 8 participating teams
About the playground, Reeshma Ramesan said “It was a bit shorter for a full-length football game. So a team of 11 footballers was reduced to 9 a team here. They gave their best.”
“When I was taking introduction of the footballers after the customary hand shake I found some of the footballers barefooted. Some had boots. I knew what to do for them. We arranged boots and jersey for the entire fleet of the 8 teams that took part in this 2 day event.”
The goalkeepers were gifted gloves for better performance.
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Reeshma Ramesan added “I had a feeling that an expert referee is to be there otherwise if there goes anything amiss then right from the spectators down to the footballers all would be crying for the game to be not fair but foul. Hence the match was refereed by the expert. There was no murmuring.”
A great sense of people’s participation in police’s programme was most evident. 8 teams took part in the 2-day football tournament. The Bheetdeeh football team lifted the trophy. Gawhi was the runner-up.
Police officer Nirmal Oraon and his team have succeeded in bridging the gap between public and police.
