How ultimate frisbee is blurring ethnic divides in India’s Assam

More than 4,000 players pursue the sport in 100 villages of Chirang district, which has a long history of armed rebellion and instability.

Chirang, Assam, India – Swmkwr Brahma doesn’t talk much, but when someone says “frisbee”, his eyes light up and he breaks into an animated conversation about the non-contact sport that has taken Assam’s Chirang district by storm. The 23-year-old started playing “ultimate” (ultimate frisbee) when the sport – with its spinning flying discs and fast-paced team play – was first introduced in Chirang in 2015. Six years on, Brahma now coaches children and there are more than 4,000 ultimate players in and around the 100 villages of Chirang, including Brahma’s village, Aiechara.