Not without our daughters!

It is becoming an increasingly rare feat where achievements by women in our country need to be looked upon with wonder, considering the huge strides they continue to take, in spite of all odds. And yet, even this hadn’t prepared us for the pride we felt last week when our daughters shone like a beacon in the dark. Notwithstanding another dismal performance by India at the recently concluded Rio Olympics 2016, the country was saved some major embarrassment thanks to the amazing display of sporting determination and will by some of our brave heart champions – all women. Each of their victories was outstanding because of the story it redefined.

History was written as PV Sindhu got the silver medal at the Rio Olympics after playing a stupendous finale and putting up a staunch fight. The 21-year old became the youngest ever Indian to win an Olympic medal and that too a silver! Sakshi Malik, grabbed the nation’s attention after ending the metal drought by clinching the bronze medal in the 58kg women’s wrestling category, becoming the first Indian woman wrestler to win an Olympic medal; proving that women can excel in “men’s sports” too. Her victory was inspiring considering she came from a state, Haryana with the lowest sex-ratio in the country. Dipa Karmakar, barely missed the bronze by a whisker even as she became the first Indian female gymnast at Olympics, playing a game that hardly has any funding or support in the country. There were other significant achievements too made by golfer Aditi Ashok and long-distance runner Lalita Babar who had qualified for the finals, which is in no way a mean achievement. It won’t be wrong to state that there is an advent of rise of women sports achievers in India, as was evident in the performances put up by our athletes at Olympics.  

While the biggest irony remains of course that as a nation we continue to grudge our daughters their dreams and aspirations – not just in sports but across fields. Perhaps, it is this that fuels our daughters to excel more, take greater strides and overcome the odds that are stacked against them since they are children. And slowly, we are witnessing a gradual rise of individuals excelling in their practice, sports included. Remarkably, more often than not, these women achievers are from middle to lower income groups with little or no support in terms of resources or facilities. Until a few decades ago, sports would only be the privilege of the wealthy, now we have athletes like Saina Nehwal (daughter of a government employee), Mary Kom (daughter of a farmer) etc. fighting against all odds to emerge victorious.

The dismal performance of India at every Olympic is shameful considering we are the second largest growing economy and also the most populated. And this isn’t a gender specific problem. The government has to shake off its apathy and look at measures to adopt models that have worked even if autonomously, to replicate it across other states. Coaches like Gopichand and Bishweshwar Nandi (coach of gymnast Dipa Karmakar) should not only be rewarded with sufficient aid but also encouraged in every possible way so that other such pools of sporting talent are formed. Also, why wait for athletes to win awards to only bombard them with cash rewards and endorsements? Dipa didn’t win a medal but her achievement is unparalleled considering the lack of resources and infrastructure she faced.

While it is certain that the achievements by our girls will motivate the next batch of sporting geniuses, we need to as a society increasingly infuse sports within our lives. And this begins right from school. It is critical to offer same type of sports to both boys and girls, as we do at BHIS (Billabong High International School) like offering football, cricket, capeoira without gender bias helps encourage the girls. We have observed a tremendous linkage in the terms of the partnerships formed early on, between parents and school to identify and nurture sporting talent. Sport should be an integral part of our lives regardless of gender. Each one should play one. However, we as a people, have a greater responsibility in helping our nation reaching the stars. For which nation has really achieved anything if their daughters aren’t empowered to follow their dreams? None without their daughters!