The theme for Session 5 on Day 2 of the RevSportz Trailblazer Conclave 2.0 was Indian Sportswoman: Equality, Advancement and Health. The speakers were MC Mary Kom, Joshna Chinappa, Rani Rampal, Harmilan Bains, Dr Nandita P Palshetkar and Alok Khettry. Boria Majumdar was the moderator.
Harmilan, the athlete, started proceedings by saying that things were not equal when it came to men and women in Indian sports. “When I started running, people started saying for how long should I do it,” she said. “I said till I am 30. That took them by surprise. ‘When will you get married and have children if you run till 30’ was the question. With the support of my parents, I have vowed to fight till as long as I can. But, can you ask the same question to male athletes?”
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Rani, former captain of the Indian hockey team, felt things were changing. “That people in India woke up at 6 am to watch the women’s hockey team play in the Tokyo Olympics is a change in itself,” she said. “Our performance inspired many girls to play hockey. In many disciplines, there have been role models who have inspired thousands of girls. That way, things have changed. But we have a long way to go.”
Asked if women were equally responsible for such a state of affairs, squash star Joshna said: “To an extent, yes. It starts with the mindset of the family. I was lucky that my parents allowed me to focus on sports. That is not always the case. Not everybody gets that kind of support. In sports, things are a lot harder for women in India.”
Boxing legend Mary Kom recalled the days when she had to toil away from the spotlight. “In our village in Manipur, a lot of people wanted to play,” she said. “There were no facilities or infrastructure. Even after I started doing well, nobody knew what I was doing. Only recently has social media changed things to an extent. Before that, there was no encouragement or recognition.”
Dr Palshetkar said equality was still a distant concept. “Only about 5 or 10 per cent of our women get opportunities,” she said. “But the truth is simple. If you are not healthy, you won’t be successful. Women in our country still keep the best of the food at home for the family and have leftovers for themselves. We must change that and educate them. They must realise that if they are not healthy, the family won’t be healthy.”
The COO of Bharat Serum Vaccine, Khettry, said their company catered to women’s health. “That’s one of our responsibilities. Broadly, there are three things. First is empowering women. Sports has that transformative power. Second, we must make them confident. Third, there must be more women in the workforce, at least 50 per cent.”