Anaya Bangar on Tuesday shared a photo with her father Sanjay Bangar and her family after a long time on Diwali.Anaya shared the photo on Instagram and also penned a heartfelt note: “Light feels different this year — softer, steadier, closer to home.” The photo has gone viral and has already hit 3 lakh likes.Earlier this year, Anaya had revealed that her father had made it clear that she would not be allowed to play cricket in the future.Click here to check the photo“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.Earlier this year, Anaya had also posted on Instagram, where the 24-year-old shared a detailed scientific report to support her case to play cricket.“It began as me wanting to play again, but the more I spoke up, the more I realized that my journey is tied to so many who feel invisible in Indian sport,” Anaya wrote on Instagram.
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“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.
