On Tuesday, Anaya Bangar shared a long-awaited Diwali portrait with her family and father, Sanjay Bangar.
On Instagram, Anaya shared the image along with a heartfelt message, “Light feels different this year — softer, steadier, closer to home.” The post has garnered over three lakh likes since going viral.
Anaya disclosed earlier this year that her father explicitly stated she would not be permitted to play cricket in the future.
“He was just stating the fact that there’s no place for me in cricket. I had to take a stand for myself. I did get suicidal thoughts as it felt like the entire world was against me, and the decision I took (hormone therapy to become a woman) has now left me with no space in this system,” Anaya had told Lallantop.
“Even basic opportunities and rights are no longer there for me. I still had space for myself from the family point of view. But it wasn’t there in society, cricket, or the external world.”
Anaya had also revealed how she shared a “complex” relationship with her father.
“My relationship with my father is complex, like many families navigating change. I hope that one day he will find a way to stand beside me,” she was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.
The 24-year-old Anaya also uploaded a thorough scientific paper on Instagram earlier this year to bolster her argument for playing cricket.
“It began as me wanting to play again, but the more I spoke up, the more I realised that my journey is tied to so many who feel invisible in Indian sport,” Anaya wrote on Instagram.
“My personal dream and public advocacy have become the same thing now,” she added. “Walking back onto the field, this time as Anaya, won’t just be about playing but reclaiming the right to belong, compete, and dream with dignity.”
“Well-known cricketers from both the men’s and women’s sides have messaged me. Some just sent a heart. Some said, ‘We see you.’ It made me emotional. Because in a sport where silence is common, even a whisper of support can feel like thunder,” added Anaya.
The post ‘Light feels different this year…’: Anaya Bangar shares heartfelt Diwali picture with family, including father Sanjay Bangar appeared first on Cricket Country.
