Mumbai: Is it nepotism and gender-based discrimination? This is the question many have raised as the elite Dronacharya sports awards is yet to find a women hockey recipient since its inception in 1985.
While the entire world is strong on disparity when it comes to genders, in the country’s highest award for sports, women have been an ignored lot.
The recent Tokyo Olympics by the women’s hockey team has proved that there are some of them, if not many whose names should be in the forefront, but ironically it is not and there has not been a single name in the list of nominees for this award.
Indian women’s team have been astounding in the way these girls went about at the Tokyo games campaign. This team has transformed women's hockey, and thousands flocking to meet them whereever these girls were spotted, has given women’s hockey a new lease of life.
But when it comes to recognition, there has been none. And among the many, Pritam Siwach should have found her name as she had two of her wards playing for the country, and one of her trainees Sharmila Devi has been short listed for the FIH Rising Star award.
Besides Sharmila, two others Neha Goyal and Nisha excelled at Tokyo. No Dronacharya was ever given to women's hockey coach so far. Time to rectify the historical discrimination and vacuum. Nobody else deserves the award more than Pritam does now. Incidentally, Siwach stands out as she is the only former player, that too an Arjuna awardee, whose three trainees made it to an Olympic team.
“It has always been the case always especially when it come to women,” said the former Indian skipper Nazleen Madraswalla, who was ignored Arjuna Award.
“We need someone to take notice of this and in my opinion, Pritam would be the right one for this prestigious award,” said Nazleen who is now coaching Kiwi kids in her academy in Auckland.
What could be the right way to give it back to women than during the time when the nation’s notion of Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao Yojana.
“The girls have done very well and I hope women behind these girls get their due,” said Selma D’Silva a former international.
A former Western Railway employee, Selma applauds the Railways as they are the only employers in the country who appoint women sports personnel quota. And the present Indian Tokyo team has 13 of them from the railways.
“We (women) have always been the neglected lot compared to men in all sports and hockey is nothing special,” says Selma who is also the Padmashree awardee.
It’s time people concerned give women their due when it come to coaching.
“I still cannot find out why women are not considered in general. Leave along with awards even the women players are a neglected lot. And I only pray after these girls did wonders at the Tokyo Games, people wake up,” said Eliza Nelson, another international from Pune.
It’s time to think that gender parity is not just good for women, it's good for the entire society. Let's hope that people knew that when women do better, economies to follow the suit. Times should change as days have changed, gone are the days when we hear, ‘We've raised daughters more like sons to, raise our sons more like our daughters.
