Think before you speak dear Sania!

Indians are on the verge of becoming the next world sporting superpower. From boxing to wrestling, from archery to athletics, from badminton to tennis, the Indian sports persons have made a mark in almost all the arenas the world has to offer. Interestingly, most of these stalwarts are women. Talk sports and talk women in the same breath. Sania Mirza, Saina Nehwal, Mary Kom, Deepika Pallikal, Jhulan Goswami, PV Sindhu, Jwala Gutta, Deepika Kumari, Anjum Chopra, PT Usha have all breached the traditional housewife image that an Indian woman was bestowed with, to inspire other women to scale similar heights in their own fields. Yet, when we hear Sania Mirza saying that it’s difficult being a Sania Mirza in India, one can’t help but wonder why.

Making the difficult choice

Being a woman in India comes with its own challenges. For Indian women, the biggest challenge is to get the priority list sorted. This process most often begins with family and closes with it too. To shun those norms and choose a career is a big step. To choose an unconventional career like sports is like venturing into treacherous territories. Yet, these women have been brave enough to put passion and profession before societal norms. Most of them are lucky to have the support of their families. Like 5-time World Boxing champion Mary Kom says, nothing would have been possible without the support of her husband. “My youngest son is too small for me to leave him alone. Yet, sometimes, when I have to do so, I am able to do it only because of my husband.” But Mary too had to face a lot of resistance initially, fight against the odds to come this far in life.

Safety issues

With the number of atrocities against women spiralling high uncomfortably, no woman in India can consider herself to be completely safe, especially if her work requires her to travel round the clock. Mary Kom once says, “I don’t feel very safe. Even though I am a professional boxer, there are times when I just don’t.” That’s the case with almost all the sportswomen, who are globetrotters in their own right.

Discrimination

Remember the time when Sania Mirza was appointed as the brand ambassador of Telangana? Unwarranted commentary on her being an absolutely ineligible candidate for that honour broke her down completely. From tagging her as a ‘Pakistani bahu’ to saying that she does not belong to the region, the talks ripped her apart. Remember that time when Deepika Kumari had to literally had to beg the media to leave her alone? What about recent times when Sarita Devi, denied a win, had to borrow money from a journalist to have her match result contested? And then apologise to the AIBA because she had refused to accept her medal? And still wait for her suspension to be called off? You’re getting the point, I assume.

The other side of the coin

Every coin has two sides. Yes, being a sportswomen in India might be difficult, but think about women from countries like Iran, Afghanistan or even Saudi, where women are not even allowed to drive, forget about playing sports. And the few that choose to breach that thin line have to wear their headgears and other religious costumes, even if it means a hindrance to their performance. On the other hand, in a country like India, sportspersons are provided the best of infrastructure and a claim to fame that isn’t available anywhere else in the world. And the same Sania Mirza who today said that it’s difficult being a Sania Mirza in this country was chosen by a set of people to be honoured as the brand ambassador of Telangana and was supported by a swarm of loyalists and media houses when she was called a Pakistani Bahu.

The crux of the matter is the fact that yes, being a sportswoman in India comes with its own challenges, but then, India is fast evolving into a modern and broad-minded country, so much, that sporting legend Sachin Tendulkar spoke up for Sarita Devi to ensure that her career does not die an untimely death. Sports persons have every right to express themselves, but in doing so, they should a little critical about themselves while making blanket statements like these.