By Sohini Chattopadhhyay
I think, apart from ‘Seabiscuit’ – this is the book most-steeped in dated facts and chronicled events I’ve read. It was comforting to read events in a manner bereft of any trumpeting or speculation. Just their stories.. highlighting the motivations, circumstance and peaking of various women, Indian athletes.
Clearly what I related to, the most, was the voice of the chronicler – an upper middle class hobby athlete like myself.. though I probably am a shade of the athlete I was in my teens.
Most of the women athletes in earlier days .. perhaps even today – are strikingly similar in their poor backgrounds, love for sport and the unlikely finding of good mentors. Having faced judgment and ridicule for indulging in public displays of their body: they are path breakers. The story of Santhi Sounderarajan who was erased from history for having purportedly failed a gender test. And that of Ila Mitra who was chosen to represent the nation for pre-independent British India but was later abused in jail for supporting grassroots movements … are particularly moving. For these women: sport was perhaps the best part of their lives. And they held onto it.
Loved the term ‘accidental feminist’ having been given to the coaches of these iconic athletes. And to the man – Jadhav – pioneering the Sunrise Project – a project that provides nutrition and running coaching to marginalised girls in Maharashtra. Seems like the author’s attempt at humor in a book that deals continuously with the difficult questions of gender, freedom and agency.
The author presents logical breakdown of the often illogical premises on which many star athletes have found themselves forgotten or banned. It’s wonderful to read it because she says things that when said in normal conversations raises the heckles of those who prefer status quo.
Perhaps where I am today. Middle-ageing and trying to make sense of single life; the most sensible thing is to do what these women did: and hold onto sport !
