 "When I grow up, I want to be Mary Kom")
Or I want to be Saina Nehwal. Or I want to be Tintu Luka. Or I want to be Geeta Phogat. Or Sania Mirza. Or Jwala Gutta. Or Ashwini Ponappa. Or Garima Chaudhary. Or Rushmi Chakravarthi. That’s what the London 2012 Games have done for Indian girls — thrown up almost a dozen role models that they could aspire to becoming. Suddenly, we’re seeing a rash of women achievers in sport — and achieving is rewarding. [caption id=“attachment_413369” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]
Mary Kom, Saina Nehwal and the band of sisters have demonstrated that not only is it possible for girls to dream of such successes, it’s achievable as well. Reuters[/caption] “On Thursday, Manipur’s government announced Rs 50 lakh cash award for the five-time world champion from the state. Also, the mother of two will be given two acres of land. She has also been promoted to Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) from Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP). Meanwhile, the Assamese government has announced a cash reward of Rs 20 lakh to the boxer. She has also been offered to open a sports academy in the state,” says
ibnlive
. “Andhra Pradesh government on Tuesday announced a cash reward of Rs 50 lakh to ace Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal for bagging a bronze medal in the London Olympics… The AP government had earlier announced a reward of Rs 50 lakh for Saina following her victory in Indonesian Open, Thailand Open and Swiss Open tournaments,” says Times of India
. Mary Kom and Saina Nehwal, the two bronze medal winners among the women, have been showered with recognition and cash awards. The other Indian women participants, while not winning medals, have, in many instances, been just a hair’s breadth from doing so — and they were a hair’s breadth from the adulation and the riches. And to little girls in India, as they sit in their houses, transfixed in front of their TV sets watching Mary Kom, Saina Nehwal, Geeta Phogat and the like, there’s a thought that goes through their little minds — “When I grow up, I want to be like her.” And when these girls share their dreams with their fathers and mothers, the dreams will not be dismissed as flights of fancy. Because, Mary Kom, Saina Nehwal and the band of sisters have demonstrated that not only is it possible for girls to dream of such successes, it’s achievable as well.
Anant Rangaswami was, until recently, the editor of Campaign India magazine, of which Anant was also the founding editor. Campaign India is now arguably India's most respected publication in the advertising and media space. Anant has over 20 years experience in media and advertising. He began in Madras, for STAR TV, moving on as Regional Manager, South for Sony’s SET and finally as Chief Manager at BCCL’s Times Television and Times FM. He then moved to advertising, rising to the post of Associate Vice President at TBWA India. Anant then made the leap into journalism, taking over as editor of what is now Campaign India's competitive publication, Impact. Anant teaches regularly and is a prolific blogger and author of Watching from the sidelines.