PATNA: Of late, there has been a paradigm shift as far as approach of the country’s sportswomen is concerned. Indian women athletes have started proving that they play to win. From Rani Rampal, captain of the Indian women’s hockey team to badminton player P V Sindhu, everyone has crossed the social and gender hurdles by their fighting spirit. Their achievements have inspired women athletes in Bihar as well, but they continue to rue many obstacles on their way.
Muskan Singh (15), an Indian player in junior NBA (National Basketball Association), a basketball league in North America, said, “I am unwell right now, but I want to be the voice of women athletes in the state. I have heard a lot of comments about wearing sleeveless clothes. In my state, Bihar, a lot of girls start playing at a young age. However, when these girls grow up, they do not get the desired support from family and society. I don’t let this mentality bother me and keep on hustling.”
Muskan, who hails from Patna, is a student of Corvuss American Academy, Maharashtra.
Mamta, a member of the Bihar volleyball team, said, “I was passionate about volleyball since childhood and started playing when I was in Class VI. Though my family did not want me to pursue career in sports, I always believed in myself and dropped out of college to play volleyball. I played with national players and made my state proud several times.”
Ojaswini Sharma, captain of women’s volleyball team at St Xavier’s College of Management & Technology, Patna, said, “Whenever a woman athlete achieves something, it encourages me. However, it is still very difficult to convince parents to let me take up sports as full-time career option.”
Meanwhile, several good Samaritans are taking initiatives for supporting sports in the state. For instance, Patna-based Dr Arvind Prasad Gupta has decided to organise a felicitation ceremony for sportspersons on the occasion of National Sports Day on Sunday. Deputy CM Tarkishore Prasad will inaugurate the event.
“The sportspersons to be felicitated by us were injured at some point of time, but they got recovered in six to eight months and played at national and international levels thereafter,” Dr Gupta said.
