With the nation still buzzing with excitement about the Indian women’s cricket team’s thrilling world cup victory last week, a wave of enthusiastic applause spread through the audience as former player from Karnataka, Veda Krishnamurthy, took the stage wearing a sleek black blazer, pants, and the same confidence she’s known for as a batswoman.
When asked to draw back the curtains and give the audience a peek into team India’s dressing room, the player, whose voice added commentary to the recent World Cup matches, said, “The team is exactly how you saw them after the victory – humble and down to earth. The tribute that they did later on with the victory lap and taking the World Cup to all the former cricketers; that shows the character of the team.”
She also noted that this moment could be a turning point in Indian women’s cricket and a fitting answer to naysayers. “There were a lot of people trolling, even during the World Cup, saying that women belong in the kitchen and that cricket shouldn’t be played by women. I think the answer has been given and hopefully, from here onwards, nobody will say that cricket is a sport only for men. It’s everyone’s game and women are equally good at it.”
Amidst the applause that rose as actor Shraddha Srinath spoke when she walked in as one of the Devi awardees, there was one person quietly capturing this moment on his phone – her father, Colonel S Srinath.
“I am so proud,” he paused for a minute reflecting on her win later and continued, “She has been brought up without any gender bias, she’s not dependent on anybody. In
fact, both my daughters are independent. I have given them the entire leeway, all the liberties, so they have chosen their paths, informed us what they want to do, and my wife and I are there to give our full support. But whatever she is today, is all because of her hard work.”
As her father reminisced with pride, Shraddha’s winning words reflected what all women in the forefront put forward – a sense of collective will to bring good. “I realise there are so many things we don’t know since we are so caught up in our lives,” she said, adding with a smile, “It’s an honour to be here, standing on the same stage as all of you.”
For her, the medium, whether film, web or theatre, matters less than the art of performance itself.
“It’s all about storytelling,” Shraddha remarked on her recent web series – a milestone in her 10-year journey, adding, “This was my first web series as the female protagonist, as a face of the show. Because the show did really well, there was a certain sense of credibility that I could pull off a show of my own and attract new audiences. So I do give myself a pat on my back once in a while.”