The opening session on Day 2 of the RevSportz Trailblazers Conclave 2.0 saw a fascinating conversation on the New Generation. Harmilan Bains, Esha Singh, Anush Agarwalla, Jyothi Yarraji, Shriyanka Sadangi and Sift Kaur Samra were the speakers. Trisha Ghoshal and Gargi Raut were the moderators.
Held on International Women’s Day, this session saw some of the speakers shed light on the problems they have had to overcome and that they still have to deal with.
Athlete Harmilan spoke about perceptions. “I was speaking to the media after doing well at an event,” she said. “It was a typical post-run chat. Someone suddenly asked when I was getting married. Can you believe that? Luckily, I come from a sporting family (her parents were athletes) and my parents understand the problems. I am lucky to have them.”
Shooter Shriyanka spoke of similar issues. “This is how society operates,” she says. “There are stereotypes. When I told friends that I was into shooting, they asked ‘which movie?’. When I said it involves guns, the question became ‘who’s going to marry you if you roam around with guns?’. Luckily, the mindset is changing. Women are breaking barriers and inspiring others.”
Anush, the first Indian to qualify for an equestrian event at the upcoming Paris Olympics, spoke about the contribution of his mother. “I left for Germany when I was 17,” he said. “It was difficult, balancing riding and studies. My mom kept pushing me. She told me that it can be done. She came over when I had shows. For a woman from India, it’s not easy to get used to the climate over there. She did that and her role in my progress is massive.”
Esha recalled how her father got her into sports and instilled in her the belief that sports plays a part in character building. “He was a national-level rally driver,” she said. “One floor of our house was filled with trophies. I hated outdoor sports. When the chance came to try out shooting, I was naturally curious. Dad told me that sports will help me for the rest of my life. I realise now what that means.”
For athlete Jyothi, she learnt fighting spirit from her mother. At the Asian Games last year, she was wrongly called for a false start and disqualified from the 100m hurdles final. She contested the verdict, came back to the race and won silver. “My mother had taught me that never leave your ground if you have made no mistake,” said Jyothi. “I just stood my ground that day. I knew I was not at fault. Thankfully, I received help from the Indian contingent.”
Shooter Sift was set to join MBBS. She had made up her mind to quit shooting.
“In Punjab, it’s about medical or engineering for girls because they will find a good groom! Anyway, I was sure that I was going to leave shooting. Then, I went to the nationals and created a record. That’s when it started changing. I realised that I was enjoying what I was doing. That’s how it changed.”