# Across the Wall

## Overview

This chapter is based on the real-life story of a girls’ basketball team from Nagpada, Mumbai. It explores themes such as **gender equality, teamwork, determination**, and **breaking societal barriers**. Through the stories of girls like Afsana, Zarin, Afreen, and Khushnoor, the chapter presents how these girls challenged stereotypes to play basketball and excel in it. Their efforts and experiences inspire students to follow their dreams with courage.

## Key Topics Covered

### 1. Meeting the Team

* A group of students visit the Nagpada Basketball Association (NBA) in Mumbai to meet a unique girls’ basketball team.
* The team includes young girls like **Afsana Mansuri**, who have broken many social and cultural barriers to play.

### 2. Stars in Her Eyes

* Afsana’s story is highlighted—she comes from a poor family and helps her mother with household work.
* Despite opposition, she becomes a strong player and a leader of her team.
* Her story shows the "wall" between her and her dream: social rules, gender roles, and poverty.

### 3. Girls Who Dream Big

* **Zarin** used to watch boys play and wanted to join. With courage, she asked the coach and formed a team.
* **Khushnoor** had to convince her parents to let her play.
* **Afreen’s** grandmother was against girls playing, but her father supported her and taught her special moves.

### 4. The Coach’s Role

* The coach encouraged girls and gave them equal training.
* Training included jogging, exercises, ball control, passing, dodging, and scoring.

### 5. Hard Work and Acceptance

* Initially, people were surprised to see girls play. Now the girls are respected.
* They have started traveling for matches and even played in **Sholapur** and at **state level**.

### 6. Facing Challenges

* The girls faced:

* Lack of support
* Stereotypes like “girls shouldn’t play”
* Fewer resources (shoes, clothes, nutrition)
* Domestic responsibilities
* Yet, they continued to play, determined to prove themselves.

### 7. Team Spirit

* The Nagpada team focuses on **supporting each other**, even during mistakes.
* In contrast, the Sholapur team lacked cooperation.

### 8. Playing with Boys’ Teams

* The girls also played matches with boys’ teams and expected equal competition—not sympathy.
* They corrected their mistakes and stood strong when boys mocked them.

### 9. Dreaming Bigger

* The girls dream of representing India and winning gold medals.
* They are determined to make their area and country proud.

### 10. Legacy of Bacchu Khan and Coach Noor Khan

* **Bacchu Khan**, a local mentor, inspired many children.
* **Noor Khan**, the current coach, continues this legacy and has trained many international-level players.
* He believes in unity across class, language, and gender.


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# Across the Wall

## Overview

This chapter is based on the real-life story of a girls’ basketball team from Nagpada, Mumbai. It explores themes such as **gender equality, teamwork, determination**, and **breaking societal barriers**. Through the stories of girls like Afsana, Zarin, Afreen, and Khushnoor, the chapter presents how these girls challenged stereotypes to play basketball and excel in it. Their efforts and experiences inspire students to follow their dreams with courage.

## Key Topics Covered

### 1. Meeting the Team

* A group of students visit the Nagpada Basketball Association (NBA) in Mumbai to meet a unique girls’ basketball team.
* The team includes young girls like **Afsana Mansuri**, who have broken many social and cultural barriers to play.

### 2. Stars in Her Eyes

* Afsana’s story is highlighted—she comes from a poor family and helps her mother with household work.
* Despite opposition, she becomes a strong player and a leader of her team.
* Her story shows the "wall" between her and her dream: social rules, gender roles, and poverty.

### 3. Girls Who Dream Big

* **Zarin** used to watch boys play and wanted to join. With courage, she asked the coach and formed a team.
* **Khushnoor** had to convince her parents to let her play.
* **Afreen’s** grandmother was against girls playing, but her father supported her and taught her special moves.

### 4. The Coach’s Role

* The coach encouraged girls and gave them equal training.
* Training included jogging, exercises, ball control, passing, dodging, and scoring.

### 5. Hard Work and Acceptance

* Initially, people were surprised to see girls play. Now the girls are respected.
* They have started traveling for matches and even played in **Sholapur** and at **state level**.

### 6. Facing Challenges

* The girls faced:

* Lack of support
* Stereotypes like “girls shouldn’t play”
* Fewer resources (shoes, clothes, nutrition)
* Domestic responsibilities
* Yet, they continued to play, determined to prove themselves.

### 7. Team Spirit

* The Nagpada team focuses on **supporting each other**, even during mistakes.
* In contrast, the Sholapur team lacked cooperation.

### 8. Playing with Boys’ Teams

* The girls also played matches with boys’ teams and expected equal competition—not sympathy.
* They corrected their mistakes and stood strong when boys mocked them.

### 9. Dreaming Bigger

* The girls dream of representing India and winning gold medals.
* They are determined to make their area and country proud.

### 10. Legacy of Bacchu Khan and Coach Noor Khan

* **Bacchu Khan**, a local mentor, inspired many children.
* **Noor Khan**, the current coach, continues this legacy and has trained many international-level players.
* He believes in unity across class, language, and gender.



## Keywords

| Hindi (हिंदी) | English (अंग्रेज़ी) |
| ------------- | ------------------- |
| दीवार | Wall |
| सपना | Dream |
| टीम | Team |
| हिम्मत | Courage |
| कोच | Coach |
| खिलाड़ी | Player |
| समानता | Equality |
| अभ्यास | Practice |
| संघर्ष | Struggle |
| प्रेरणा | Inspiration |

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## New Terms and Simple Definitions

| Term | Definition in Simple English |
| ----------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Gender bias | When people treat boys and girls unfairly because of their gender |
| Basketball court | A special place where the game of basketball is played |
| Coach | A person who teaches and trains players in a game |
| Teamwork | Working together as a group to achieve a goal |
| Discipline | Following rules and staying focused while working or playing |
| Determination | Strong feeling to continue trying even when it is hard |
| Arjuna Award | A special award in India for best sports players |
| Perseverance | Continuing to do something even when it is difficult |
| Equal opportunity | Giving everyone the same chance, no matter their background or gender |
| Inspire | To make someone feel like doing something great |

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## Practice Questions

### 🟢 Easy (3)

1. **Who is Afsana Mansuri?**
→ A girl from Mumbai who played basketball and became a leader of her team.

2. **What was the name of their team?**
→ Nagpada Basketball Association (NBA).

3. **Who helped the girls form their team?**
→ The coach, Noor Khan.

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### 🟡 Medium (2)

4. **Why did Afreen's grandmother object to her playing basketball?**
→ She believed girls should not play and worried about the cost of equipment and food.

5. **What made the Nagpada girls' team special according to Afreen?**
→ Their cooperation, understanding, and support for each other.

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### 🔴 Difficult (3)

6. **What problems did the girls face while trying to play basketball?**
→ Social opposition, family objections, lack of money, and limited resources.

7. **How did Afsana overcome the 'gender wall'?**
→ She insisted on playing despite objections and proved her strength on the court.

8. **What lesson can we learn from the story of these girls?**
→ With courage and teamwork, we can overcome social barriers and achieve our dreams.

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### ⚫ Very Difficult (2)

9. **What is the meaning of "gender bias"? How was it shown in the story?**
→ Gender bias means treating boys and girls differently. In the story, girls were told they shouldn’t play games because they were girls.

10. **How did the coach’s training impact the lives of the girls in the team?**
→ The coach motivated them, taught them discipline, and helped them grow into confident players who played at district and state levels.

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