They lend Indian sport a helping hand, and more

It will be insulting to their credentials if one describes their journey as one that only breached a male bastion. Instead, these individuals took the path less travelled and broke the glass ceiling along the way. TOI celebrates the journey of some extraordinary women who stood tall in the sporting arena, not only as players but in some more unusual roles...MARIA REBELLO (FIFA-certified referee)Maria Rebello has scripted many firsts. In Goa, she started playing football in her younger days and then went on to don the national jersey. For her next challenge, the former India captain, undeterred by societal norms, went on to become the country's first FIFA-certified female referee. A player usually transitions into a coach, but Maria broke stereotypes and proudly wore the referee's whistle around her neck. "I wanted to be on the field with the players and not give instructions from outside," she said. But it wasn't just about a 'run' in the park - being the only woman on the field with 22 footballers can be a daunting task.MALA RANGASWAMY (performance and video analyst)Be it climbing on top of unsafe, makeshift video towers to set up her cameras or helping teams analyze their strengths and weaknesses, Mala has been on top of the game. The 35-year-old BCCI performance and video analyst has been a part of two ICC U-19 Women's World Cup-winning teams. Mala has a master's degree in finance and is a former Karnataka player. She made her foray into video analysis more than a decade ago. "After I became a mother, my urge to go back to cricket got stronger. Former India selector Purnima Rau encouraged me to take up the role. I had to start from scratch. I didn't even know how to switch on a laptop," said Mala.SHYLA ALAM (strength & conditioning coach)Shyla was raised by a single mother with five other siblings, including four sisters. A winner's trophy brought home by her sister in an intercollege cricket match in 2006 captured her imagination. Shyla, who hails from Durg in Chhattisgarh, went on to play national-level cricket for Tamil Nadu. Her keen interest in science made her question the lack of strength and conditioning in women's sport. After retirement, she worked as a strength and conditioning coach at the National Cricket Academy. She cleared the BCCI Level II examination too. Much to the surprise of many, Nagaland roped her in as the senior men's S&C coach last year. "When I started, I was excited and nervous as well. It didn't take the players long to recognise my professionalism and accept me," the 34-year-old said.JACINTHA KALYAN (BCCI curator)A few years ago, Jacintha Kalyan scripted history by becoming the first woman curator appointed by the BCCI. It wasn't a conventional start. Jacintha forayed into curating pitches after having walked in as a receptionist at the Karnataka State Cricket Association in 1992. Hailing from an agricultural family in Karnataka, cricket was something Jacintha turned to only occasionally, but she soon found herself working with the ground staff. "I had no knowledge about the pitch, but was encouraged to foray into pitch and ground management," said Jacintha. Now 50 years of age, she is a senior curator at BCCI's National Cricket of Excellence.