The State League by Mallika Ravikumar
My take on the book:
Prithvi moved from Maulsari to Goa and joined Goa’s Elite Sports FC for formal football training. Gautham Bhatia dreamt of a state league for football similar to the IPL for cricket and he soon gathered sponsors and approvals for the league with a promise for the players that this league will be their big ticket to sports academies from Europe.
However, age fraud follows this league as it does in the smaller leagues. There is also match fixing with fixers trying to influence the results by grooming young kids or by threatening them. With the politicians at the helm of the sports ministry pushing their own personal agenda for profits, a harmless angry remark by a Manipuri boy is taken out of context. The online trolls almost destroy the future of an upcoming star.
As Prithvi tries to figure out the mess happening around, will he able to rise above the hurdles and find himself, forms the rest of the story.
This is the sequel to The District Cup which captured Prithvi’s life in Maulsari and dealt with age fraud. This is a young-adult sports novel, but it works as more than a football story. The author uses the game to talk about friendship, loyalty, ambition, prejudice and integrity. The central dilemma, how much one should compromise to win, is a real one for the teenagers the book is aimed at, and the author treats it seriously without lecturing. Heavy subjects like match-fixing, age fraud, and the way outsiders from the North East are treated are handled with a light touch, so the book stays gripping rather than preachy.
The writing is fast paced and easy to read. The match sequences have real energy, with short bursts of dialogue and the sort of banter you would hear on a practice ground, and the characters speak in a believable, youthful voice. The dialogue also carries the tension between characters, so the story doesn’t rely on long explanations.
The black and white illustrations add to the story by capturing matches, characters and moments of tension, giving it the feel of a contemporary sports story. The inserted posts also make the world feel real and show how rumours, decisions and public opinion travel beyond the field. For a generation that lives on social media, this is a clever way to show how a controversy grows.
Overall, the story reminds us that doing the right thing sometimes matters more than winning. A thoughtful read that will keep young readers hooked and leave them thinking about fair play.
My rating:
5/5.