The likes of Oraon, Munda and numerous other girls, particularly from tribal communities across India have been a force to be reckoned with over the last few years, particularly in competitive and highly physical team sports like football, rugby, hockey and archery, a traditional tribal customary practice.

Across the dense forested villages of the erstwhile epicentre of Maoist conflict—Jungle Mahal covering the districts of West Midnapore, Jhargram, Purulia and Bankura—young Adivasi women can be seen practising dynamic moves, free kicks or one-touch passing.

It’s a silent revolution, a transformation that other social initiatives might take years to achieve in such remote, underdeveloped conflict zones.

In Outlook's latest issue, She Will Overcome, we explore how a generation of gutsy women—heterosexual, lesbian, transgender, Adivasi, Dalit and from religious minorities—is challenging patriarchy in sports, a male bastion, in spite of their families and neighbourhoods.

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