After representing the Indian national women’s football team’s under-16 unit, this Kolkata girl is working as a food delivery agent to make ends meet. Poulami Adhikari, who represented India in 2012 football world tournament, has been working as a delivery agent to help her family financially. She works with food delivery platform, Zomato.
24-year-old footballer, who stays in Kolkata’s Behala, revealed that she had to let go of her dreams to earn money. “In 2012, I played for the U-16 Women’s team. I did never want my football career to get finished, but due to financial conditions, I had to start this delivery business. To buy a shoe worth Rs 500, I had to ask my father. He would definitely arrange the money, but I know it would cost him a lot. He did whatever he could but to help my family and my career in football, I decided to become a delivery agent,” said Poulami.
It all came to light when a social worker named Atindra Chakraborty shared an interview with Poulami on social media. The video went viral and drew attention to her struggles.
About the viral video, Poulami said, “I went to do a delivery. A person named Atindra made a video of mine and that went viral. I came to know that he is a social worker. Following which, that video went viral”.
Poulami said her journey to Indian women’s football team was not easy. She had to face a lot of objections from the parents of the local boys who used to play football, just because she was a girl.
“I was the only girl who played football as a kid in the locality. Some women had objected that a girl was wearing half pants and playing football, but a local coach told me to keep playing,” added Poulami.
Poulami is in her third year of BA at Charuchandra College at the University of Calcutta and is hopeful of getting a job at the All-India Football Federation (AIFF). However, she blames nobody for her situation.
“As a normal player, I feel that the federation wouldn’t have heard me. But I can’t blame them because I could not reach them as well. After the video went viral, I got a call from the federation,” she said.
“In India, young women do not have the opportunity to make careers from sport, and it is even harder if you are from such an impoverished background as Poulami,” says Shanti Mullick, a former striker for the India women’s national football team. Mullick was the first woman footballer to receive India’s prestigious Arjuna Award.
“Poulami could have been a professional, if her circumstances had been different. I hope that her story spurs us to develop and invest in women’s football, so we do not have any more lost talent.”
On 7 January, the All India Football Federation released a road map called Vision 2047 with the goal of developing Indian football. Its 2026 target calls for more investment in women’s football, including providing a minimum salary to women’s players.
Poulami says that she hopes the vision will be realised.
“There are so many Poulamis around, struggling like me.”