Until a few years ago, Rani Rampal wouldn’t have dreamt of taking up hockey as a sport. Hailing from the small town of Shahabad Markanda in Haryana, it was not easy to play a ‘man’s game’.
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Hockey is not alone when it comes to gender disparity. Women cricketers and footballers can relate to them as they are also neglected in their own realms.Whereas the men’s cricket calendar is packed, women play only a handful of matches in a year.Before their epochal win against England in a Test in Wormsley last year, they didn’t play another Test in eight years. India hosted the Women’s Cricket World Cup in 2013, but the entire tournament, even the final, ran to empty stands. Worse still, there is not even a structured domestic calendar. And the pay package is way inferior to their male counterparts.Women footballers’ case isn’t any better. They may be ranked 55 in the world, more than 100 rungs higher than the men, but they hardly strike a chord with the general public.They are seldom in the news and are literal non-entities when it comes to awards for sportsmen and coaches. But at least in South Asia, they are powerhouses, having won all three editions of the SAAF Cup, without losing a match. |
As Rampal speaks, one can understand what she must have gone through over the years. She suddenly pauses and says that the battle is still not over. “I don’t know how long I will be able to continue with the sport. There is so much of uncertainty,” she says, and before you could ask her to explain further, the newly appointed Canadian coach, Mathias Ahrens, calls the 21-year-old forward to take her position for the practice game.
She runs towards the centre turf, making one think about those lines over and over again—“there is so much of uncertainty”. With the national team, Rampal has seen the highs and lows from close quarters and, perhaps, that has helped her get a ringside view of the system. From being rocked by a sex scandal to players not finding jobs, India’s women hockey players are not new to facing odds. And, if the players are to be believed, the struggle is still far from over.
As one roams around the second pitch at the Dhyan Chand National Stadium in Delhi, some of the instances make one realise that there might be an ounce of truth to their claims. While the women’s team gets ready for their practice match, their kits are kept on one side of the stadium with no one to look after them. The dressing room is locked from outside and most of the players have no other options but to change their outfits either in the team bus or in a dark corner of the stadium. And as evening descends, you can hardly spot any security per sonnel at the arena.
In 2010, the Indian hockey circuit was rocked by a scandal when the then coach M K Kaushik was accused of sexually harassing a female player. Kaushik and his associates had to quit (Kaushik, however, has been cleared and is back in business). There were promises that the security issues would be looked into seriously. But at least during the practice sessions, one can’t spot any security personnel.
On normal days, the practice sessions get over at around nine o’clock in the evening, and as the players leave the turf and head towards the team bus, there are still no signs of security guards.
In a country where cricketers are treated like demigods and are given Z-category security, the gang of girls travels from the stadium to the DLTA Complex (that’s where they are put up during training) in the team bus without escort.
That’s when the reality bites.
Even after winning laurels for the country, there’s very little for these players to look forward to. A senior player, who has been on the circuit for quite some time, reveals another story. “We have also seen days when we had to reach the stadium in auto-rickshaws since the team bus was used for the men’s team,” she says. As you speak to the players, it brings back memories of the 2007 Bollywood blockbuster Chak De! India, which had tried portraying stories of what goes on in the Indian women’s hockey circuit.
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It had shown the world, tales of Komal Chautala, Preeti Sabarwal and Vrinda Naik—and their struggles. Though in style of a typical Bollywood flick, it ended on a happy note. If you ask a few current players in the Indian team, they will narrate stories that are certainly not very happy.
This raises the big question: has it been a rosy ride for the Indian women hockey players? Well, there is no denying that things have improved from what they used to be a decade ago. The training facilities have improved, foreign coaches have been roped in and some of the big corporate groups have come in as sponsors. The Hockey India too has started organising “good luck” dinners before major tours to boost the team’s morale.
However, despite these changes, a pall of gloom hovers in the dressing room. Things might appear to be unperturbed on the surface, but dig deeper and you will find that certain questions still remain unanswered.
One such question is posed over the financial security of the players. Even after winning laurels for the country, there is no central contract, which enables a player to receive financial benefits from the association, even at the time when she is not playing for the national team. While European countries also don’t have contract systems, they do operate on a club-oriented format. But such a thing has not yet been developed in India.
As a result, if a player remains out of the team for some time, she will not be covered by any contract and thereby has no financial security.
On the other hand, cricketers enjoy financial security and stability as they are covered by central contracts, which assure them pay cheques, even if they are out of the national side. The women’s team also gets less recognition than their male counterparts. “Even after playing in the national team, people hardly recognise us. Though the men’s team is given their due respect, the thing is a bit different for us. Forget getting proper recognition, people don’t even know that we play hockey for India,” says defender Deepika, who has been on the circuit for some time.
Insiders in Hockey India, however, claim that they take many initiatives to ensure that the women players get all the benefits. But then, on the job front too, the players are certainly not in a comfortable position. Even though the ones present in the national camp are employed, there are quite a few who are yet to secure a job. For the last few years, goalkeeper Savita Poonia has been running from pillar to post for a government job. Despite assurances from the state government, the player from Haryana’s Sirsa district is yet to land a job. “I am eligible for a job under the Haryana government’s medal lao, naukri pao scheme. But for the last three years, there’s only been assurances,” a dejected Poonia says.
After some spirited performances, Poonia has approached almost everyone for a job, but in vain. “In today’s time, it’s so difficult to live without a job. Despite playing for India, I still have to rely on my parents. It’s really frustrating,” the goalie adds.
While some state governments or police departments hand them jobs, the women hockey players are mostly hired by the Indian Railways. “In the last few years, we have only been hired by the Railways. That’s why it has become more difficult to get a job anywhere else these days,” another senior player rues.
While the Hockey India officials claim they are doing their best to ensure that every player is financially strong, the players feel a lot more needs to be done. “Things may have improved from what they used to be 10 years ago, but even that is not enough. There has to be more money flowing in. If the male players can have a Hockey India League, why can’t we have one too?” the senior player wonders. And this definitely is an important point. Ever since the Hockey India League began in 2013, male players are earning much more than before. Apart from regular match fees, they also bag hefty sums of money in the auctions.
Though there are talks of Hockey India introducing something similar for women, they are yet to find something so lucrative. “We also put in a lot of hard work, but we are still nowhere close to the men’s team. They are far better paid than us. Be it anywhere, we are looked down upon and that’s frustrating at times,” Deepika says.
And it’s not just about money, central contract or security. Coming from small towns, and not having enough education, they often face tough times at the camps. Earlier, there have been allegations of not getting proper food and lodging during the camps, but with time, those problems have been dealt with.
But there is still a communication gap between the players and the organisers, owing to language barriers. When newly appointed Canadian coach Ahrens took charge, the players found it tough to understand the language. Captain Ritu Rani admits the players often find it difficult to communicate with the coach and support staff since most of them cannot speak Hindi. “Earlier it was a huge problem, but slowly we are trying to overcome the language barrier,” she says.
Despite this, the girls have given commendable performances over the last few years, making some of the top teams take them seriously. And ahead of the major World Hockey League semifinals, coach Ahrens believes they are all set to take Belgium by storm.
But what makes them struggle? Ask Ahrens and he sums it up perfectly. “The Indian women players’ situation is different from their European counterparts because in Europe, the girls try to get into the national team as it would help them get admission in some good university. In India, most of the players have families to run so a place in the national team means bagging a job. There lies the basic difference.”