Yesteryear stars and present champions joined hands in an attempt improve the standard of sports for women in the country in this novel way
“Women in Indian sports do not start and end with Sania Mirza and Saina Nehwal. There are many more champions, there are many more role models. We just need to recognise them.” said Anuradha.
The calender features the likes of PT Usha, Anju Bobby George, Mary Kom, Anu Vaidyanathan, Dola Banerjee, Rohini Rau, Anjali Bhagat, Chitra Magimairaj, Karnam Malleshwari, Dipika Pallikal, Alisha Abdulla and Koneru Hampy, and all its proceeds will go towards the development and training of young athletes in the country. Khel Ratna awardee, Mary Kom, speaking out against the way women are treated for taking up sport, said: “The whole village, my friends and even, my father discouraged me when I wanted to box after I got married. That’s the way it is. There are always people to do this and do that, but you have to be determined enough to continue in your path. This initiative will only help people recognise us and inspire youngsters.” Amanlan spoke about the Modular Employment Skills (MES) program brought into place by the government of India. “Everyone has a skill and the objective of this program is to identify the skill and help the person train to get better at it. We will provide the ground support mechanism for all sports in the country. We are also planning on creating a special sports sector to help identify talent in the country,” he added.
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