Sania, Saina, Soniya: The rise of women power-10 October 2010

BETWEEN THE LIES

Sania, Saina, Soniya: The rise of women power

Bobilli Vijay Kumar

10 October 2010, 05:48 AM IST Share on Hotklix Share on Facebook Share on Yahoo e

A scorching forehand and striking looks were enough for Sania Mirza to catapult into the hearts of India, about five years ago.

As the country opened up, she also became the face of the new-age woman; proud, confident and with an attitude to match, she also showed that our ladies could take on the world.

Maybe it helped that she studied in an upmarket school; that she had the backing of a fairly affluent family too. Like most city-bred girls, it was only natural for her to take up a racquet sport.

Sadly, injuries, fitness problems and instant stardom cut short her journey to the top; she did zip all the way to world Number 27 but the slide began soon enough.

Now, happily married, she seems to have found a new spur, a reinvigorated drive to live up to her talent and potential. Clearly, marriage is not a full-stop for the Indian woman any longer; it is just the start of a new sentence, a new story.

India, though, is not just about the Sanias: we also have our Sainas and Soniyas. In many ways, these three talented girls represent the entire spectrum of women sportspersons that are springing up everywhere.

Saina Nehwal, like the quintessential Indian woman, was born in a small town in Haryana, into a middle-class family: yet her parents were more than eager for her to pursue sport as a career; it probably helped that both were accomplished players themselves too.

Luckily, she grew up in Hyderabad, a bustling city; more importantly, she spent virtually her entire childhood on the courts, chasing the feather. She is a path-breaker because she was doing well in a sport that was deemed too fast and furious for our girls.

There have been other badminton stalwarts before her, no doubt; but she has certain qualities that personify the pretty young girls of today. Apart from being famously focused, she is hard-working, determined and highly ambitious. Smartly, she prefers to let her work do all the talking.

And then, there is Soniya Chanu: she hit the headlines by winning the first medal, a silver, for India at the Games. But she will probably never become as big a star as Sania or Saina; she will remain an unsung hero, like million others around the country.

Soniya is, of course, very popular back home, in her little village in Manipur. That is because weightlifting has attained cult status out there, thanks to the exploits of Kunjarani. She simply jumped on to the bandwagon.

The rest of the story, though, is very familiar. Born to a farmer, she had to fight her way out of poverty, along with her two sisters. Sport offered her the escape route: she gave athletics a shot before taking to the mat.

She had the courage to step out of her little village in search of a life; maybe, she didn't have an option, like many others of her ilk. Today, she is an inspector in the Lucknow Police and has already been assured of an out-of-turn promotion.

The Commonwealth Games has, thankfully, showcased many women like her; quite amazingly, they have come and won in many sport, ranging from archery to wrestling to shooting. A tribal girl from the heart of Maharashtra even won the first ever medal for Indian eves on the track in the CWG.

If nothing, that is going to be the legacy of these Games: the rise of women power.