Sports hold a mirror up to the lives we live and to the society, we reside amongst. And at times, the beauty of sport is the fact that it can help a person or a community transcend what has been perceived as limits or boundaries.
And for a 42-year-old powerlifter, Saraswathi Anand, from Bengaluru, sports is a way of life as such.
The lifter’s accomplishment in the land of the Pharaohs, as she cleared the 100 Kg lift in the powerlifting competition in Egypt to clinch the yellow metal fell on the occasion of International Women’s day.
“It felt personal and wonderful that the win came on International Women’s Day", Saraswathi begins her exclusive with News18.
“Firstly, the Indian competitions are predominantly attended by Indians. And India is not a sporting nation as such. We do not actively engage in sports unless we follow that as a career," said the Marketeer, who is Assistant Vice President at Network18.
“Especially women – they drop out of sports rather early. I’ve seen girls drop out of sports at around 15, or 16 years of age and never return to the field", she elucidates as she sheds some light on the issues that the nation still faces after 75 years of freedom.
“So what was very different about the contest in Egypt was the diversity. We have 10 countries competing such as Israel, Palestine and so on. And women were represented in large numbers."
“They were passionate about powerlifting, which is usually not seen as women’s forte, and that was something."
“There were women in their 60s who were competing. There were grandmothers contesting as their grandchildren cheered them on."
“It makes you put your best foot forward," she grinned as she reflected on a contest that could serve as an eye-opener for millions worldwide.
The Level-up
Given the subcontinent’s typical culturally restrictive nature when it comes to women’s sports, to put up a fight on the international stage on foreign soil and rub shoulders with women from cultures that push their girls into sporting realms ever since an early age, requires a massive scale-up.
“Truthfully, I was extremely nervous. This isn’t something that I do as a career, it is something I have picked up in the last two years."
“I have a fantastic coach. I use to be a regular gym-goer, I cycle and keep myself physically active. And somehow, it happens to be so that I can pull off weights."
And Saraswathi touched on the lesson that one can draw from such ecosystems.
“So basically, it was talking to a lot of participants who have represented India before."
“You’ve done your nationals and have the confidence to pull off a certain weight. But, sometimes, the imposter syndrome keeps hitting you. ‘Was it really you? Was it luck? Was it that fewer participants competed?’"
“So, you battle that on a day-to-day basis. I surrounded myself with women friends who would help me overcome this and cheer me no matter how negatively I spoke about myself."
“And of course, I had a coach who kept pushing me. And I have an equal partner in my husband, who is also a lifter, though he doesn’t compete. All that helped me a lot."
The pandemic shift
Love it or hate it, the pandemic changed the world and the lives of million. The nature of the change, however, is highly unique and different in the case of each individual.
The ebbs and flows that the epidemic put the universal populace through physically and mentally, have altered the course and path that people walk in the post-pandemic world.
And Saraswati, who took a shine to powerlifting during the testing time for the planet would eventually go on to triumph at the World Powerlifting Congress in India in the year 2021, before going on to win the Pro League Indian National Powerlifting event in July of 2022.
“I’m a mother of two. Twin girls. This is not how it started out, I did not see it progress this way", she reflects on her early day in the field.
“But, when my kids see me competing or I see myself competing, the kind of positivity it has brought into my personal life and to my professional life is grand."
“It reinstates the belief that things are doable. Obstacles will always be there and things will always go wrong, especially when they shouldn’t go wrong."
“But, this fitness journey of mine has helped me trust myself."
“I may be the worst cheerleader to myself. I know I am not very good to myself as a person, which probably comes from being a woman, that we are very hard on ourselves," she said providing an insight into a rather undebated perspective that is one way or another thrust upon the segment of the population, which some cultures believe in as the origin.
“So that bring some inner confidence in me and my gait has changed. I’m truthfully the same person, but the body positivity I have right now shows."
“My girls are also confident as they see their mum work out," she said with apparent glee on her face.
“Sport, health and mental health is a huge thing in our house and I see them tackle everyday bullying positively as a result."
“They brush it off or tackle it head-on and are able to see how petty such things are," she elaborated on how constructive the example she sets for her twin girls has been in the way the 12 -year-olds see life.
“They are very body positive and they know that staying active has helped their mum overcome an autoimmune disease."
“I was riddled with autoimmune disease because of work, stress and all that, but I have been able to reverse it."
“So seeing their mum’s journey from an always exhausted, irritable person to one who is extremely confident has had a positive effect on them," she says with discernable pride.
“And now, as soon as I say that I’m tired, my kids urge me on. ‘Mama, you’ve got this’. That’s absolutely wholesome. My kids have taken a shine to football and basketball too."
Hair, care and authenticity
Sport stars have become much-touted celebrities thanks to the social media revolution that has made athletes household names. And along with the status of a celebrity, come the glitz and the glamour of fashion and athleisure.
Elaborate and mercurial clothing, heavy blings, multiple piercings and wacky hairdos are all the currency of the ‘in-demand’ in the eyes of the rapid swiping, content-craving populace that goes ga-ga over the slightest change in the looks or fashion sense of a sportsman.
The modern generation that has been hit with the social media bug might be too young to comprehend the fact that there was a time when sportsmen/women would typically sport hair that was cropped to the tee.
Saraswathi, sporting a clean, short haircut befitting that of an athlete is aware of the perks that come with chopping off the locks and trading in the braids for comfort. Physical and mental.
“I went grey a little early, so I used to colour my hair a lot. It used to take a lot of my time as there is a whole lot you can do to your hair. You have your streaks, you have your colours and all of that."
“But truthfully, I feel that you don’t need any additions or ‘tadka’", she says in an affirmative tone.
“I’ve had some women come up to me and say ‘You grey so well’. It is not that I am doing something specific. I’m just being positive with myself and being as authentic as I can."
“And this is who I am- grey hair and no makeup. I think being authentic gives me a kind of raw power."
Health-Physical and Mental
As a person who has first-hand experience of the blossoming effect that sports can have on life, Saraswathi tries to encapsulate the kind of environment that we need to assure is in place for the upcoming generation of youngsters and kids, for whom the cathartic impact of physical activity seems all the more important considering the pace of the world that revolves around in contemporary light.
“I’m extremely passionate about sports."
“Not just on my personal social media handle, but even when working with Network18, when I sit with the edit team, we talk about women’s sports and try to push that," she said.
“Especially during the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, we had athletes such as Mirabai Chanu, Lovleena, PV Sindhu all coming up and winning."
She touched upon how agonizing the situation is in terms of the support afforded to kids who aspire to pursue a career in sports. And even worse is the condition of those who desire to take up sports as a means of lifestyle improvement.
“I feel that we really lack infrastructure. And I also feel that the only way we Indians look at sports is as a ‘sports quota’ or a discount or a scholarship on education, which is so sad."
“That is not how people should be looking at sports. People should look into sports as an investment in health. Not just physical, but also mental health."
The blissful effect sports can have on your body and mind is well documented, and yet, there is a bottleneck somewhere in the culture that needs to be addressed.
“I feel it makes you more rugged and resilient as a person. While I have always been physically active, starting to compete in sports has got me into a different mode. I think I’m able to pack much more in life and whatever I’m doing, I do it with much more passion," the powerlifter testified.
“So I really wish parents put the same kind of investment into sports, not for the sake of winning but to inculcate resilience in children."
“Winning and losing are such a natural part of life and even after losing, you go back and still play. That is something I wish we get to change as a nation and especially as parents," the 42-year-old concluded.
Comments
0 comment