sports for ALL!!

We talk about equality of sexes almost all the time and there has been a constant battle for woman empowerment, many are fought and some are hard won. The recent passing of legislation to increase the representation of women in parliament was one such hard won battle, that bought to focus the growing desire and necessity to have the fairer sex in the forefront of developement. Nehru said ' A nations progress can be judged by the status of its women'. This made me think, if this is true, what does this say about INDIA? How will we be judged? Definitely, we will be taken more seriously if we were to indeed create some unique opportunities for women.

The movie CHAK DE gave us an insight into how the world looks at women in sports. There are huge problems: be it funding, sponsors or infrastructure, it was clear as day that they are at a serious disadvantage. Some argue that sports is more of a gentleman's game because of the amount of stamina required. But at the end of the day it is a test of endurance and skill. So why is that women in sports are not as popular as the men? Why are they not given a level playing field with the men or the same amount of recognition and support? Why is that people feel that watching men's cricket is a lot more exciting than womens cricket? I would say all this is because of the lack of exposure and awareness or maybe even ignorance on our part. Ask any ardent cricket fan, even a woman 'who the captain of the Women's Indian cricket team is'? They will definitely draw a blank.

Take the IPL for example, Underneath the corporate exploiting the event for marketing gimmicks and many other such agendas, the BCCI insists that at the heart of it, IPL was created to find some fresh talent and give them a once in a lifetime opportunity to play alongside the best. If this is their mission, shouldn't their vision also include women? Why not have one or two women players in the team. They have ceiling limits and rules on almost everything right from the number of international players. Why not give women an opportunity to prove themselves? If we are truly equals this should be no problem. Even tennis has a concept of mixed doubles and this is also a game that's not just about skill but endurance as well. Women are just as talented if not more than men and all they need is someone need to open doors for them and give them a voice. As a developing nation our voice is loud, but as we all know actions speak louder than words. By adding women to the equation you not only intrigue the audience but the anticipation of seeing how well they fair will increase your TRP. It will be a win-win situation for all involved and India will be viewed in a completely different and positive light. The BCCI should seriously consider opening up the IPL to women as well because there is incredible talent there just waiting to be discovered and show the world what they are made of

The IPL with its enormous success should pave way to newer ideas and maintain the spirit of the game in the truest sense.