Agrawal clicks with Cricket, stays focused behind her lens
Outside the boundary rope at the P. Sara Oval Cricket Stadium in Colombo, stood a lass with a camera and a l a r ge lens that most renowned sports photojournalists call ' mortars'. This was during the ICC Women's World Cup Qualifiers held in February, where India, Abhilasha Agrawal's country, emerged champions.
Agrawal is a total stranger to Sri Lanka, let alone the Press Box at the P. Sara Oval, where she probably, created history at the venue, to be the first women sports photographer to roam alongside male shutterbugs. Of course, as a female among men photograpers, particularly at sports events, Agrawal stood out in. But the event itself, being an all-women competition, may have overshadowed her presence at the venue.
Agrawal is no stranger to sports photography. It has been her passion all along but, only in 2012, did she make a serious entry into it, which coincidentally was in her hometown of Baroda. Since then, she has come a long way, to end up with a successful online project -Winsports, which stands for 'Women IN SPORTS', particularly, in cricket.
"I virtually grew up playing gully cricket, along with other sports. I played a little bit of cricket at university and wanted to become a cricketer, but couldn't. But cricket was always and still remains a passion. And now, I thoroughly enjoy the game through photography. My first brush with sports photography happened when the Bangladesh women's team came to Baroda, my hometown, in 2012. But I took the trade seriously only with the 2014 Women's World Cup held in Sylhet. The International Cricket Council ( ICC) and the Bangladesh Cricket Board helped me a lot then. By now, I'm virtually, part and parcel of Women's cricket," Agrawal said.
Agrawal is a heroine for what she has chosen as a trade, unlike other women of her age or background. Strangely, she has turned out to be a rose among the thorns in sports photography. Not merely because of her ability to carry a set of camera equipments that weight close to 10 kg or, her skill at, casually, capturing energetic sports images. But, because what she has been able to contribute back to women in sports, mainly cricket, through her venture. She is an avid believer of the fact that sports is a great leveler of all differences, be it race, religion, gender, colour or country. The little five years she roamed outside the boundary ropes of many cricket venues of the world has, not only given her the confidence of a capable sports photographer, but also be a player who spreads the message of peace and love through sports.
"Sports is an aspect where you are not judged or segregated on such man-made divisions. In fact, it's one of the most powerful and underutilised ways to bridge gaps between people and countries. I see huge potential in sports to nullify gender gap and prejudices that exist, particularly, in Asian countries, and to magnify the role played by women in sports. Playgrounds are the best classrooms for this. And, with family support, I think, things will change and acceptance will spread on a bigger scale. My aim is to become one of the best among cricket photographers, but my effort is to help women become more engaged in sports, and seek new avenues in life," she explained.
Agrawal has a very good academic background and an understanding family, that supports her all the way. With the reputation she has earned after directly and effectively being involved in 2 ICC Women's World Cup events, 2 ICC Women's World Cup Qualifiers and as a member of the official brigade of photographers for the ACC Asia Cup, Agrawal has achieved much in her short tour of duty. The experience has given Agrawal the interest of following a PhD on how sports, particularly cricket, can be used as a tool for diplomacy and develop structural efforts to overcome gender bias.
Her intentions stand out, with the close relationship Agrawal has developed with the women cricketers of rival countries -- India and Pakistan. Her army of friends include those who befriended her during her time behind the lens, on the field. Being a member of the fairer sex and the 'testing' surroundings, does not deter her from doing a perfect job by remaining focused in mind and with her lens, while capturing images, editing them and doing write-ups. It is a physically and mentally demanding task, where men have mastered and become experts, and Argawal says she enjoys every moment of her job, as a professional.
"Not because I am a woman, but it's very exhausting to be constantly taking photographs, more so in a 1-day match. To be attentive and remain ' focused' whole day long. To be out in the sun, dehydration, sunburns, muscle cramps are part and parcel of this. But, at the end of the day, when I see those perfect shots, which tell a story of their own, I forget all of these. And I have had my share of good and bad experiences, but photography has taught me to focus and cherish good ones and leave out the bad ones," added the buoyant lady behind the lens.
Agrawal maintains very cordial relations with the Indian and Pakistani women's cricket teams. That does not mean there aren't others on her friendlist. Having met many international women cricketers from all over the world, Argawal is a well known figure. But she has a special fondness towards the Indian and Pakistani women cricketers for many reasons.
"I have loved capturing India vs Pakistan matches the most. There's so much of energy, passion, pressure, anxiety and drama in these games. I have seen hooting, soft sledging, temper tantrums, display of aggression and, at the same time, I have seen a sense of camaraderie and spirit of sportsmanship, helping with shoelaces, to congratulating an opposition player for a good knock, -- it all happens in an India vs Pakistan women match. I feel lucky to capture all of these through my lens. Personally, I feel, if bowlers of Pakistan and batters of India get together and form a team, that unit will be unbeatable. I have a very cordial relationship with players of both teams. I believe sports help overcome prejudices and lets you celebrate your differences. I have had incidents when players come up to see my camera and lenses out of curiosity and offer me chilled water on a hot day, while covering matches. It's a nice feeling to be friends with them," she added.
By now, Agrawal has created a huge bank of images through her web portal, the Winsports, in addition to promoting and helping women sportspersons reach higher ranks. Her contribution may not be big or lucrative as her male counterparts', but Agrawal is highly self-content with what she has been able to do and achieve.
"Winsports has a huge image bank of photographs. We also started sponsoring cricket equipments and bats to upcoming and talented players since last year. It's a tough task, but we managed to sponsor players from most of the Asian teams. With more corporate tie-ups, hopefully, we would be able to support more players in the future," she stated with anticipation.
From the ICC Women's World Cup Qualifiers in Colombo, her next destination, after home, will be the upcoming ICC Women's World Cup in England. At the same time, she works steadily on her other ventures, helping out women from the region of Asia to overcome barriers through sports and help them reach greater heights.
"As of now, I am very excited for the upcoming Women's World Cup. I always dreamed of working at the Lords, and am really looking forwards to it. In the long run, I would like Winsports to be able to support more players and do events and exhibitions to popularise this among young girls and do developmental work with people and organisations in India, as well as other countries, to help out women. In spite of all these, my camera will always click at Women's cricket matches," said a gleeful Agrawal.