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Boundaries were pushed back and a glass ceiling was broken as Revathi Natarajan walked out on to the Indian Institute of Science’s Gymkhana Ground on Tuesday. The occasion was a KSCA divisional match and, despite being the only woman on field, Revathi was to play a significant role — she was one of the two on-field umpires for the day-long proceedings.

Revathi is the first woman umpire from Karnataka. Earlier this year, she appeared for, and cleared the BCCI’s Level I exam for umpires. A graduate in chemical engineering — she passed out from BMC Engineering College last year — Revathi could easily have chosen a white-collar job had she preferred it. Cricket, however, was her calling.
 
“Cricket is a hobby and I chose a career in umpiring out of sheer passion and interest,” Revathi said.
 
Although cricket runs in the family, it was still hard work convincing her folks at home, despite having the support of her father, a former divisional player and an umpire.
 
“Natarajan, my dad, was a cricketer and he later switched over to officiating in cricket matches. It was he who inspired me to take up umpiring as a profession. Initially there were objections from other family members, but now they are all proud and supportive of my work.”
 
There were the obvious obstacles which this youngster had to surmount. For example, while her younger brother was allowed to join a cricket academy, she was forced to stay indoors. But such biases failed to douse her spirit and after her graduation Revathi decided to dedicate herself to the task of making it big in the cricketing field.
 
“I have officiated in 20 matches so far,” she said. “I see every match as a new experience and there is always something new to learn. Though I am surrounded by men, I hardly feel uncomfortable while discharging my duties. Sometimes when players do go out of control and shout, I take it all calmly. After all an umpire should always be cool.”
 
Revathi, however, claims that she still has a long way to go.
 
“You qualify to officiate in BCCI matches only after working in state-level matches and after clearing an exam. There are exams at three levels and I am happy to have passed the first level. I’m now waiting to clear the Level II exam. Once I clear the BCCI exam, I will be eligible to officiate in first class matches. My dream is to officiate international matches.”