The Day I Became a Runner, published by HarperCollins India, begins with a glimpse into why Sohini Chattopadhyay started running in the first place. The book quickly delves into the lives of nine of India's female athletes, some of whom are famous and some of whom are lesser known. The premise seems simple, but once you start reading, an alternate history of India emerges through the lens of our republic, women, and sports. From the lack of women's toilets to being on the podium at international sporting events, women's sports seem to have come a long way. But is that really the case, given the recent protests by wrestlers against former Indian Wrestling Federation president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh?
In an interview, Chattopadhyay spoke about the book, how she got the idea for it, and the policing of women in sports.
You write vividly about how you became a runner. How did you get the idea to write an alternate history of India using the lens of running?
For me, there was no “aha” moment or epiphany. However, three things happened. One is that I started running as a way to cope with my grief. And as that fog of sadness began to lift, I began to notice how people looked at me. I started running in a semi-public park in his DDA colony in Delhi and wondered, “Why am I an outlier here?” As an upper-caste, upper-middle-class, English-speaking, urbane, privileged person in every way, this was the first time I felt abnormal and unwelcome. So I started looking into it. This has led to questions about whether women's citizenship in the public sphere is incomplete.
The second case was the gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old emergency medical technician student in 2012. I was in Edinburgh studying at the time, and I remember feeling the protests and anger and all that, and I remember wanting to occupy the streets and participate in the protests, rather than for anything. . I just wanted to live in a public place and say, “This is me, I'm here, I'll go wherever I want.” Because whenever something untoward happens in public, a woman is always asked three inevitable questions – what was she doing there; where is she going? what were you wearing?
And third, while covering the 2016 West Bengal Assembly elections in the brutal April heat of Kolkata, I remember getting off the metro at around 4:30 p.m. and opening my umbrella. There is. A man tapped me on the shoulder and impatiently motioned for me to close my umbrella, which was taking up space for three people. I point to parked cars, vendors, and hawkers and ask, “Why don't you tell them to move?” They don't bother anyone, they're just doing their job. That's why, he said.I remember being very angry at a parked car.
In this book, we map the journeys of nine athletes while another story of this country unfolds in parallel. Was it always your idea to structure the book this way?
Yes, I wanted to write an alternate history of India.
The dedication page reads, “To Santhi Soundararajan, who never stopped thinking of this track as his home.” You profile nine athletes, what struck you about Soundarajan?
It was Santi's incredible struggle, but more than that, it was her absolutely irresistible and undying love for the sport. Despite her suffering, she loved the sport so much that she knew this was what she wanted to do. There was so much uncertainty surrounding her when she was disqualified after the 2006 Doha Asian Games and her career ended unceremoniously. She said the Government of India and the Sports Authority of India told her this was it and she would never compete. Rerun. The only body to honor her at that time was the Tamil Nadu government, with the then Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi giving her a check of 1.5 million rupees for being the first Tamil to win an individual medal at the Asian Games. She said something very beautiful, saying that this is the body that won medals. So she got 1.5 million and what did Santi do with it? She started her sports academy aimed at children and young people in the village and neighboring areas. Such was her undying love for the sport.
Much of the book delves into the policing of women in sports: the differences between male and female bodies. Here I am writing about Santhi Soundarajan, Pinki Pramanik and Dhooti Chand. Why was it important to raise this issue in a multi-athlete story?
In fact, it makes up a third of my book. Therefore, this book has three sections. First up are the early pioneers, Mary D'Souza, Kamaljit Sandhu and PT Usha. The second is about athletes who have been criticized for not being feminine enough, and the third is about life.
In nonfiction, the writer typically retreats and the subject becomes the focus. Why did you choose to write about yourself, her relationship with running, and her mother and grandmother in this book?
I planned this book to have two historical threads. There is a relatively public thread about famous athletes, and a private thread that is a thread from my family's history. So I will be telling the story of the Republic of India from the 1940s to the present through my maternal grandmother, my mother, and myself. And then there's the public thread, told through the athlete's life from the late 1930s to the present day.
You've extensively scrutinized the role of the media in fanning the flames, particularly around issues such as gender identity and sexuality. As a journalist, do you think this movement is driven by commercial interests or does it reflect society as a whole?
Since the media is a part of society, it reflects society's biases and prejudices. However, I agree that it is partly commercial as well. Stories like this include a lot of interest, sexual excitement, and voyeurism. Such stories overlap, and there is an interest in wanting to convey them as quickly as possible, which leads to a lack of checking, a lack of sensitivity, and a lack of checking the words.
You told us about an alternate history of India through the lives of nine female athletes.What do you think of the current state of women's sports in India in light of the recent protests by wrestlers?
It's very depressing and takes everything back to a few years ago. Some may think it's a good thing because the wrestlers have spoken out, but what will the outcome be – what happened to this medalist and champion, what is it like to be Sakshi Malik? Think about how many parents would see what that means. This day. And they asked for very little. They did not call for the removal of Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh from the Congress or his party. They simply asked that he should not be in charge of the Indian Wrestling Federation. Even that took a lot of time. The election was held and who won – it was a candidate close to Singh.
