He turned 81 on February 23. Even at this age Rani Hamid is playing dibbi. She is better known as the queen of chess in the sports arena of the country. Rani Hamid won the title of International Women’s Master in 1985. She got this title as the first female chess player of Bangladesh. He has 25 individual titles in domestic and international competitions.
Rani Hamid’s relationship with the chess board since 1977. Even in the last 47 years, that relationship has not been broken. He is now the oldest player in the country. He has close relationship with Bangladesh sports. He is playing chess himself. Her husband late Colonel Abdul Hamid was a renowned sports organizer of the country. Son Qaiser Hamid is a former star footballer of the national team. Among the other two boys, Sohail Hamid played squash and Shahjahan Hamid played handball. In short, he is a member of the sports family.
The queen of chess has been roaming the sports arena of the country for almost 50 years. At that time, she talked about her entry into the sport as a woman, the long way she has come and the challenges faced by women in sports today, strategies for overcoming adversity, and what to do to keep yourself safe. Rani Hamid has assessed with her long experience how women’s footfall has increased in the country’s sports arena. This chess legend also found out the difference between then and now.
The country’s senior athlete has seen a world of difference between when Rani Hamidra started playing sports and now. Especially the change in mentality of the parents, obstacles, financial solvency of the players, safe environment for the girls and above all the facilities have changed a lot. In all aspects, nothing compares to that time and now.
From her own experience, Rani Hamid said, ‘I have been playing sports since my school days. In 1955, I was a sixth standard student of Comilla Faizunnessa Government Girls High School. After seeing my run, the sports teacher of the school said that Pakistan will send it to the Olympics. But the father did not agree that he had to go to Karachi. If I were a boy, maybe my father would have let me go at that time. Being a girl, I fell into that obstacle. Now that situation has changed a lot. Parents can’t be completely worry-free, though. Many girls play chess. I see mothers sitting. The situation has not yet come where the guardians will completely leave the girls and be safe.’
Many people say that there is no safe environment for girls in the sports arena. There are still occasional reports of girls being harassed. Do you think, because of these reasons parents are afraid?
Rani Hamid said, ‘Actually, minor accidents happen in every country. Not only in sports, but in all sectors. I think safety is very much up to you. If you are self-aware, there is a possibility of less danger. To give an example, a female sportsperson may be in danger if she returns home without undue delay and the evening falls on the way. You have to be aware of all these things.’
‘Another thing is modesty. A girl’s modesty also depends on her risk of getting into trouble. I have been in the sports field of the country for 50 years. I can say from long experience, how much she wants to be safe depends on the behavior of a woman. Another issue is discipline and family education. Talking about myself, my parents always instructed me to return home on time after playing sports. After entering the house we had to get ready for studies. Family control and education are also important for girls.’
Mentioning that girls now get many opportunities in sports, the veteran sportsperson said, ‘Let’s talk about chess, we didn’t even get a chance to read a book then. How many types of technology are there now? We didn’t have that many opportunities. Now girls are also bringing success. This is how our girls are doing well in football. Brought many trophies. Girls are advancing in other sports including cricket.’
‘Girls earn through sports. Here I will give full credit to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. He is the main patron of sports in the country. After taking charge, he honored those who have achieved success at the international level in sports. I myself am grateful to the Prime Minister. He gave financial support to my two sons during their illness. I got this honor because my sons are players. I wouldn’t have got this honor if I wasn’t a player.’
Has been playing for almost 50 years. What are you thinking about your career at 81? How long do you want to continue playing? Actually, chess is a game of the mind. As long as my head goes, so will my chess. I have given more importance to discipline in my career. I have only one message for the women sportspersons of the country – to build a good career and keep yourself safe, discipline is important. Be aware’ said this chess player who won gold in Commonwealth Chess in 2017.
Rani Hamid, a three-time champion in British chess, also praised the role of services organizations behind the progress of girls’ sports, ‘now the forces are sponsoring girls’ sports a lot. Bangladesh Navy, Bangladesh Police and Bangladesh Ansar have come forward in chess. Army, Air Force, BGB have role in other games. I hope that the girls of Bangladesh will advance further in the field of sports.
