Of the 57 medals that India won at the Asian Games last month, women accounted for 27, surpassing the 20 in Guangzhou four years ago, the 17 in Doha in 2006, and the 13 in Busan in 2002 (all excluding mixed events).
The numbers make fine reading, although they are not enough evidence, by any means, of a renaissance in women’s sport. It is worth asking, though, how our women athletes feel: about themselves, their sport, and their place in relation to the men.
From conversations with six medallists it becomes apparent that experiences differ across sports. There is diversity among the six: while Tejaswini Bai, the captain of the Kabaddi team, hails from Bangalore and the pair of sailors — Aishwarya Nedunchezhiyan and Varsha Gautham — is from Chennai, others come from semi-urban or rural backgrounds — Vinesh Phogat from Balali in Haryana’s Bhiwani district, and Khushbir Kaur from a village outside Amritsar. They tell varied stories, linked by a single common thread — a will to succeed.
Tejaswini Bai (27), Kabaddi (captain), Gold
As juniors, it was often difficult when we travelled away from home for tournaments. We had to spend long hours — sometimes days — on trains. Invariably, we almost never got confirmed tickets; so we travelled unreserved. Believe me when I say that in India it is not safe for young girls in ‘general’ compartments. But we had our coaches with us and they looked after us.
Now, things have changed for the better but not many Kabaddi players continue after marriage. Mamatha Poojary’s family is very supportive that way. Even if they play after marriage, it’s not for than two or three years. I’m thinking I’ll stop after marriage too. But only because I’ve been playing for 15 years and that’s probably enough. I’m 27 now and they’re saying I have to get married; maybe it will happen next year.
Kabaddi is a rough, physical sport. I’m a raider and so naturally there is a greater risk of injuries. If you go home with bruises and scrapes every day… I guess the boys have an advantage. When young girls first join the team, they are usually afraid to open their mouths. I tell them to be free; I tell them they must not be afraid, even in life. My younger sister was a kabaddi player too. I got her married in 2011. My father passed away in 2006 and the responsibility of the household fell on my shoulders. I always had two aims after I started playing: to win the Arjuna Award and to get my sister married. I managed both in the space of six months.
Ritu Rani (22) Hockey (captain), Bronze
In Shahabad Markanda, where I come from, there is a culture of playing hockey. The current Indian women’s team has four players from there and eight in all from Haryana.
I started at the hockey stadium, like a lot of girls in my town. It has to do with the parents; they have to learn to treat boys and girls equally, and not worry about what people are going to say. Often it’s a lack of education that is the problem.
My family always encouraged me; my elder brother, Mukesh Kumar, took me to training every day. He wanted to see me play for India. He’s in the BSF now.
Haryana is a very good place for women athletes. The cash awards the government hands out to medallists are the highest in India. If you need more girls to play professional sport, you need government support for players even at the lower levels. That is why girls from Haryana do so well.
Yesterday, I was the chief guest at a function in Alwar, Rajasthan, and there were many young girls there waiting to meet me. They all gathered around me when I arrived. They looked really happy. I felt so good.
Khushbir Kaur (21) 20km race-walk, Silver
My mother, Jasbir Kaur, was a big sports buff. She always wanted her daughters to play professional sport. My father died when I was six. My mother dropped out of school after std. VIII, but she’s very smart and she used to watch a lot of sport on TV. Every training session, every competition… I do it to make her happy.
When we run with the Indian flag after winning a medal, it makes a good picture. But nobody knows the story behind it; what it took to get to that moment. I’m from Rasulpur Kalan, a village near Amritsar. It is a very backward area. Not too many girls are into sport there. It’s not something they think about. You cannot imagine what the situation was like in our household when I started. We were poor. We didn’t have a roof over our heads.
To be honest, things aren’t much different now. When I was selected for the Youth Asian Games in Singapore in 2010, I went with a pair of shoes that cost a couple of hundred rupees. I could not afford anything more. I got a scholarship next year and at least my shoes aren’t a problem now. But maybe it’s because I’ve seen so much hardship that nothing fazes me anymore. Also, I have done a lot of work, which has made me naturally strong. That someone from my village became the first Indian woman to win a race-walking medal at the Asian Games is incredible.
Four years ago, I travelled overseas for the first time but it did not scare me. I’ve never feared anyone or anything. That’s not how I live. I’ve never trained with women. I mostly train with men and I want to match their times. I’ve never felt inferior or different because I’m a woman. I’m always prepared to fight. Maybe that’s why my coach, Alexander Artsybashev, says I have a man’s brain.
Vinesh Phogat (20) Wrestling – 48kg freestyle, Bronze
It helped that I came from a family of wrestlers. My grandfather, uncle, brother, and cousin were all wrestlers. I saw Karnam Malleswari (weightlifter) win the bronze medal at Sydney 2000 and decided I wanted to go to the Olympics too. Our neighbours and others said I shouldn’t be wrestling, but I was too young to understand what they were saying. My uncle shut them up.
When I was a ‘cadet’ wrestler, there was a lot of competition in the age-groups above mine. But, today, I don’t have great competition. Among girls, interest in wrestling is falling. I don’t know why. May be their families don’t want them to wrestle. Most people want their daughters to play a sport that will just keep them active. As a wrestler, you need to build muscle. Some don’t like their daughters to put on muscle; they want them to look feminine. They feel they don’t look like girls anymore. But that doesn’t bother me. I love my sport. I love the way I am.
Since I’ve returned from the Asian Games, a couple of schools have invited me to talk to their children. Hopefully, my medal will encourage more girls. So what if I have muscles? I’m a wrestler. I’m unique.
Aishwarya Nedunchezhiyan (18) & Varsha Gautham (16) Sailing – 29er, Bronze
AN: There are girls who sail, although not that many. We’re always out in the sun and salt water is not good for your hair. I look like coal tar while my sister is pretty (laughs). I know these things really affect some people. Sailing requires you to be fit and smart but you don’t need brute strength: men have no advantage over women. We became the first women from India to win an Asian Games medal in sailing, but we weren’t concerned with making history as women; the larger picture was more important.
VG: Every year we have a summer camp in Chennai. I’ve noticed that the ones who stay back after the summer are usually the guys. I find that men are more inclined to take up sailing than women. I don’t know why that is. As a sailor you’re not concerned about your appearance; maybe it’s the mothers who are. When I tell people I sail, their surprise is less because I’m a girl and more because I’m so good at it.
