While her friends in Mumbai were ushering in the New Year, Batul Kapasi was anxiously waiting at the Delhi airport for her connecting flight to Leh. The 21-year-old freelance filmmaker visited the Women’s Ice Hockey Team in January this year at the world’s highest ice rink— a frozen lake at Gupuks, Leh. In the breathtaking yet harsh climes of Ladakh, Batul along with her friend Shuvro Ghoshal shot the story of grit, grime and determination, of women who have defied all odds to follow their dreams.
The idea germinated over a casual chat with her friend, shares Batul, “Shuvro is a sports journalist and was aware of this team. When he shared their story with me, we thought of making a documentary on them, as not many people are aware that India has a women’s ice hockey team which is struggling to keep their dreams alive,” she shares.
Having made a plan, the duo decided the vision and the face of their documentary, before flying to Leh. The journey wasn’t easy, and at one point, they even thought of binning the project, due to lack of funds, “We almost cancelled the plan, because we had no money. Both of us put a month’s salary each in the project, and couldn’t afford any more money. We borrowed money from our friends and family later, and were able to fund the project only then,” says Batul, who has spent over Rs 70,000 in making the film.
Shot across the span of only four days, Batul’s documentary shares the story of the trials and tribulations the girls face in order to keep their dreams alive, “We planned the shoot with the girls, and I was shockingly surprised to know their story. They are very passionate about the sport; they have their day-jobs and last year while representing India at The Asia Cup they even had to pool in all their resources to fly to Taipei,” she reminisces.
The girls in the team get to practise only one month in the entire year during winters, because they do not have access to an artificial ice hockey rink in Leh. “Noor Jahan – the keeper, who won the Best Goalkeeper, Asia award during the tournament is also an art-restorer and is pursuing her PhD in Delhi. They pool in all the money from their pockets and put it in the sport, and now are also training little girls in Leh to play the sport,” Batul says.
The team is now all set to represent India again this year in March but only if they have enough resources to reach Thailand. “We wanted the world to know that the girls are doing some exemplary work and that they need our support. In India, we do not entertain losing teams and players, but if we do not nurture them, how will they excel?” Batul asks. “Last year the girls had to use second-hand equipment from the boy’s team for the Taipei tournament, this year through this documentary we hope to raise some funds so that they can buy their own gear and tickets to fly to Thailand.”
