Indian women and sports

Okay, the title at the first glimpse might give you the impression of a truly feminist article coming up. Well, I wouldn't really defend in that case. But yes 100% assertion to this notion is also not there. I chanced upon writing an article on this subject after having read an article on the same lines by a writer of the opposite sex. You won't call him a feminist right? So, spare me also from the same honor.

However getting back to the point, why at all sports and why relate it to the gender presumed to be the weaker of the two sexes? Well here I would disagree with my own statement. Weaker? Why would that status be accorded to? Well maybe so, when comparison is done with men. But the discussion is not about comparing men with women. Its about Indian Sportswomen and their contemporaries outside.

Well, when we see the laurels and ranks achieved by our female sports fraternity, who would not strike a pride of honor. We have PT Usha missing an Olympic Bronze by a fraction of a second, Anju Bobby Geroge being the first Indian Athlete to win a medal in World Championships in Athletics. Saina Nehwal, having acquired the World No 2 ranking, Mary Kom, 5-time World's Boxing Championship. What more do you need?

This indeed shows that Indian women have the potential for grabbing more and adding more to the hall of fame of Indian Sports. Despite being born in a country known to have always outcast or neglected the apparently "weaker sex", we have names from this sex which would always be remembered not just by those aware in sports' trivia, but by all Indians.

Even within a state, I have witnessed my fellow friend who was state no 1 in Lawn tennis and then she went on to be India No 2. The same couldn't be said for the boys who played Lawn tennis in our state. So this in itself shows that once proper attention is shown to this section of the sports fraternity we can count more laurels for our nation.

Why stay behind, just by thinking it's after all women's sports? When we have women's football team at world no 53 and men's at world no 154, we can have many more such comparisons. But this isn't really a time to compare which sex is better, or which one has contributed more to the world of sports. Its more about exploiting the best out of the current situation, grooming the best talent, make the best possible efforts to let every girl try every sport she wants to. Because she has it in herself. Its just the spark which she needs. And believe me as a girl, when it comes to feminism, proving our worth is all that matters.