We have a culture that privileges women?s lack of fitness, their vulnerability. There are reservations on buses, in the Metro, and an unofficial reservation in autorickshaws. One cannot question the idea of a separate ladies? compartment in long distance trains ?it?s a question of safety. One may argue that travelling in an overcrowded bus without a reserved section for women is ?unsafe? too. But what about the Metro, which is often far less crowded and more importantly, the autorickshaws in Calcutta? Invariably, while travelling on either, you will find a gentleman offering the backseat to a woman or a woman asking for that favour.

While studying the culture of sports in this country, one is bound to be upset by the general assumptions based on which our society runs. We have been taught that women are not fit enough to travel around on their own. There are socially prescribed dress codes and accessories that restrict women from moving fast.

If one gives a baby girl a doll as well as a ball, the girl would prefer playing with the ball on most occasions. Yet, there is an assumption that a girl is meant to play with a doll. Such assumptions have often resulted in women not having the confidence to sit on the front seat in an autorickshaw or to travel on a bus that does not have seats reserved for women. Those who believe that women are fit enough to challenge these notions are bound to come across men who offer favours that are not asked for. By offering a woman the backseat in an autorickshaw, men only wish to demonstrate their physical superiority over women. The backseat becomes the backseat in more senses than one. So when these women are given the choice of a backseat and a front seat much later in life, they end up choosing the latter.

In my research on sports and gender in India, I have been looking at the standard and condition of women athletes in the country on the one hand, and the general level of women?s participation in sports or some form of physical activity on the other. While there are several levels of gender discrimination existing in the sports arena, it is evident that women athletes have been doing much better internationally than their male counterparts. In football, Indian women are ranked 56th in the world whereas men are ranked 119th. In cricket, both the Indian women?s and men?s teams currently hold the third position in the LG-ICC rankings in Test cricket. In weight-lifting and in track and field events, India possesses some world-class women athletes at present. But when it comes to women?s participation in sports, the picture is very depressing. In India, boys are gifted a ball to play with.

Many would raise eyebrows at the practice of foot-binding in China. But foot-binding is a common phenomenon in India too. Only, it should be termed as ?body binding?. Our bodies are bound by uncomfortable and clumsy dresses and by high heels in the name of fashion. There is more ? the absence of a football or a cricket bat in our childhood, reserved seats in public vehicles and innumerable other physical and psychological barriers. Even the ever-increasing number of gymnasia seldom promotes a culture of fitness. Instead, they emphasize slimming packages, which do not always make one fit.

If China could usher in an era of women?s excellence in sport, India too can dream of reaching such a stage sometime in the future. If we can include women athletes as ambassadors in our endeavour to change the culture of sports, we may soon have an ambience favouring women?s sports and fitness.