Time with Sania, India in Mania

The Indian Express ^ | Tuesday, October 25, 2005 at 2107 hours IST | The Indian Express

[CarrotAndStick]

She is sensation personified. The Mirza girl called Sania is set to teach tennis to India. A living icon she has the youth of the country wowing her Indianness. Her being a Muslim adds substance to the matter. Carrying a basket of firsts she is the first sports Indian women to appear on Time, first female Indian to be ranked in the world 's top 40. She is again the first ever-Indian woman to reach the third round of Grand Slam and subsequently listed as one of the 10 people capable of changing the world by London's intellectual weekly New Statesman.

What is that which glues millions of eyes young or old to this unassuming 18-year-old Muslim devout who does her namaz five times a day? What makes her feature on a prestigious magazine of a distant land?

Alex from France believes " It is a way for American people to introduce India to America. She is an opportunity in the hands of the West to fill the gap between the two distinct societies".

Shane from US supports Alex "Perhaps the American media is trying to articulate that Americans can get along with Muslims round the world .She is amazingly talented and the Americans feel her like the girl next door."

Irfan from Lucknow feels that Sania 's popularity in the American media implies that US is not anti-Islamic though the adulation for her is coming a bit too early " Hype attached to Sania is responsible for her excessive popularity. She still has a long way to go and all the hoopla has come before time."

I K Dubey from Gorakhpur proudly says Sania belongs to India, where women rarely find a place in sports. More so she hails from a traditional Muslim family and has made her mark in tennis, which is not much popular among the Indians.

Arpana from Bihar and Ketki from Gurgaon voice in agreement " She makes us proud, and has given a chance to identify ourselves with someone known globally and coming from a humble background."

Sharmila from Bengal admits Sania is not only an exceptional player but she has become a pacesetter in the world of fashion "Girls like me want to identify themselves with her by sporting the ring in her pierced nose and amulet in the neck. It makes us feel different."

Elizabeth from Kerela states my likeness of her comes from the fact that she is an Indian " No doubt she is highly promoted, but she deserves all that because of her awesome looks". She adds saying she has an appeal because of the unparalleled mark she has made in Indian Tennis.

Abraham from Manipur says that " Sania has sprung as an ideal for the children of today who look towards her and aspire to emulate her." He said that new generations are lucky to have Sania before them, to lead them towards their goals.

Dhrupadi Chattopadhyaya from West Bengal though feels proud of achievements of the tennis girl she remarks that she does not present the norm of our society. In fact she is a stray case catapulted to instant prominence. " Though any publicity given to her is good for her and her admirers but it is the media which has promoted her approach to every heart".

Simin from Mumbai also approves the richness of image for India, which Sania has created in the world but denies any challenges which she, might have faced on coming from a Muslim background. " Oh I have many friends who come from influential Muslim families and they have an access to all sorts of opportunities in this world."

Neetu a student of biotechnology from Uttar Pradesh feels a sense of women uprising when she sees Sania on the cover pages of all the leading dailies and magazines and her recent appearance on Time.

Karuna a flamboyant girl from Srinagar shrugs at the mention of Sania coming on the cover of Time " All this unrequired propaganda will spoil her game. Why don't we let her play her game and allow her to achieve what she really deserves."

Mohammad Shamim who runs a poultry and hails from Uttar Pradesh, sincerely admits "Boys who visit my shop keep talking about Sania. Since past one year I have regularly witnessed my customers discussing Sania and singing her praises." Though he says he himself does not know much about Sania and does not understand the game of Tennis. But he certainly dreams of someone from his family to rise like Sania. He believes Sania is equally liked by everyone irrespective of what religion she belongs to".

Rajesh from Bihar frowns at the way media is all after Sania. He says it has become the habit of media to first shower needless praise on a budding player and pouncing in a rapacious manner at the slightest of an excuse thus tarnishing the image as well as the game of the upcoming sports star.

Ronald from Manipur has a differently optimistic view about Sania as he says tennis is not popular in our country and she coming from a Muslim community s quite complementary (her achievements).

Rupam and Badalin from Meghalaya are too apprehensive about the future of Sania's play as they feel too much of sheen at this stage will prove detrimental to her play " O' come on too much of showbiz might halt her career." These two girls from North-east feels that she needs a right balance (of glamour and news) at this delicate stage of her sporting career.

Well why should not be they worried about their only star in Tennis? After all it is all concerning their very personal Sania!

[CarrotAndStick]

Sania Mirza