Sania Mirza has succumbed to pressure from the conservatives back home. No sooner had she landed in Hyderabad, she gave a terse statement about pre-marital sex being anti-Islamic, and anti-Indian.
The worry is not just that she has turned her back on what is after all an innocuous reality of our times - pre-marital sex. The real concern is that she has gone a step further and said that it is something she opposes not just because it is against to what "….she stands for as a Muslim" but also because it's contrary " …for what she stands for as an Indian girl." The latter part of her assertion is something a large number of Indian girls would vehemently disagree with.
Sania is the face of cultural schizophrenia of a rapidly modernizing India in a global world. In a society that is as sexually repressed as India, the onslaught of television and print media and the globalization of culture are bound to throw up a modern non- repressed counter culture. Anecdotal evidence at coffee shops and campuses across the country is enough to gather an estimate about the growing strength of this emerging counter culture. It is this new and yet emerging section with modern moorings that needs to be nurtured and encouraged. Comprised mainly of the youth, this group can be an important voice of reasonableness and openness in the new India. They will have an ally in the media which has traditionally been liberal and open in these matters.
Till her latest statement, Sania Mirza was the poster girl of this counter cultural revolution. Indeed, if there is a true young global Indian, it's her. At 19, she has traveled the world and ranks amongst the top few in a truly global sport. Many thought that this articulate and seemingly intelligent person could be placed in the assemblage of someone who epitomized the new, freethinking India.
With her statement, she has disappointed almost everyone who looks up to her. The Muslim woman, fighting a daily battle to articulate her rights, would be the first who would be seething with anger at Sania's statement. This silent majority would now wonder how they can carry on when someone as empowered as Sania couldn't stand by her comment in public. She also alienates the secular youth, who liked the bohemian attitude of her one-liner T shirts. This group does not like anyone who is a put on. You can be sure that those who got her the mega endorsement contracts would be soon undertaking fresh market surveys to reassess her ranking amongst this target group within India.
However the most dangerous outcome of Sania volte face is likely to be the cynicism fostered by the communal elements ever present in everyday India. This confirms their prejudices that Muslims are not open to change. One can almost see such people dance in glee at Sania's retraction. The other interesting thing about the two statements, is in their geography. Sania was her usual confident self in New Delhi but as soon as she reached Hyderabad it was time to be proper all over again. This reflects poorly on her and hints at family pressure in the whole affair.
The irony of the whole debate is that Sania plays an individual sport. The issue of pre-marital sex is - at the end of the day - an individual decision. Role models taking a stand one way or other must keep this in mind. The "good Indian girl" argument is absurd and representative of backward thinking and deserves total rejection and scorn.
Sania and India need to figure out that it is possible to globalize on our own terms but only we have the courage to embrace modernity and defy the moral mob. One need to look no further than the robustness of the Indian tradition which is defined by plurality, tolerance and openness. Winning the right of holding on to a dissenting thought is the first step in this battle. If Sania does not grasp this, she will end up losing this match.
The worry is not just that she has turned her back on what is after all an innocuous reality of our times - pre-marital sex. The real concern is that she has gone a step further and said that it is something she opposes not just because it is against to what "….she stands for as a Muslim" but also because it's contrary " …for what she stands for as an Indian girl." The latter part of her assertion is something a large number of Indian girls would vehemently disagree with.
Sania is the face of cultural schizophrenia of a rapidly modernizing India in a global world. In a society that is as sexually repressed as India, the onslaught of television and print media and the globalization of culture are bound to throw up a modern non- repressed counter culture. Anecdotal evidence at coffee shops and campuses across the country is enough to gather an estimate about the growing strength of this emerging counter culture. It is this new and yet emerging section with modern moorings that needs to be nurtured and encouraged. Comprised mainly of the youth, this group can be an important voice of reasonableness and openness in the new India. They will have an ally in the media which has traditionally been liberal and open in these matters.
Till her latest statement, Sania Mirza was the poster girl of this counter cultural revolution. Indeed, if there is a true young global Indian, it's her. At 19, she has traveled the world and ranks amongst the top few in a truly global sport. Many thought that this articulate and seemingly intelligent person could be placed in the assemblage of someone who epitomized the new, freethinking India.
With her statement, she has disappointed almost everyone who looks up to her. The Muslim woman, fighting a daily battle to articulate her rights, would be the first who would be seething with anger at Sania's statement. This silent majority would now wonder how they can carry on when someone as empowered as Sania couldn't stand by her comment in public. She also alienates the secular youth, who liked the bohemian attitude of her one-liner T shirts. This group does not like anyone who is a put on. You can be sure that those who got her the mega endorsement contracts would be soon undertaking fresh market surveys to reassess her ranking amongst this target group within India.
However the most dangerous outcome of Sania volte face is likely to be the cynicism fostered by the communal elements ever present in everyday India. This confirms their prejudices that Muslims are not open to change. One can almost see such people dance in glee at Sania's retraction. The other interesting thing about the two statements, is in their geography. Sania was her usual confident self in New Delhi but as soon as she reached Hyderabad it was time to be proper all over again. This reflects poorly on her and hints at family pressure in the whole affair.
The irony of the whole debate is that Sania plays an individual sport. The issue of pre-marital sex is - at the end of the day - an individual decision. Role models taking a stand one way or other must keep this in mind. The "good Indian girl" argument is absurd and representative of backward thinking and deserves total rejection and scorn.
Sania and India need to figure out that it is possible to globalize on our own terms but only we have the courage to embrace modernity and defy the moral mob. One need to look no further than the robustness of the Indian tradition which is defined by plurality, tolerance and openness. Winning the right of holding on to a dissenting thought is the first step in this battle. If Sania does not grasp this, she will end up losing this match.
