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LAST WORD
Jwala Gutta
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Jwala Gutta No putting down this rebel Badminton officials try to break the star’s spirit for not being subservient enough, but she knows how to deliver one with a backhand. By Rohit Mahajan
Jwala
Gutta played, and excelled, at badminton because of her love and passion for sport. The sports administrators, very often politicians and bureaucrats, have reasons other than sporting passion to become rulers of sport. They want to broaden their sphere of influence; having tasted power, they’re unable to resist the temptation to rule more people, own more souls. Jwala is a rarity in Indian sport, a bold and fearless sportsperson who speaks her mind. Ideally, to realise their potential fully, sportspersons must not be like her — they must eschew controversy, engage only with sport, abhor distractions, disdain administrators. She’s been different. Jwala, about 13 years ago, emerged as a kid with great potential. Discussing her ability with a badminton analyst at that time, however, this writer heard a rather disconcerting comment — that she was “too much like Anna Kournikova”. Kournikova, a gifted tennis player, became the focus of rapacious media attention when still in her early-to-mid teens because of her good looks. She’d reached the fourth round of US Open at 15 and semifinals of Wimbledon at 16 — she was that good. But she never won a WTA Tour singles title, let alone a Grand Slam event, and retired at age 26. The media and the marketing people, having messed with the mind of a teen, contributed to her early end. Yet, Kournikova did win 16 WTA Tour and two Grand Slam doubles titles. She was too good to be a complete loss to tennis. Jwala, too, did not really live up to the promise she showed as a teen. Jwala emerged as an exciting player — she was tall and athletic, and extremely hard-working. Her provenance was exciting too. Her maternal great-grandfather was a Chinese journalist and, in her words, a Gandhian. Her mother came to India with him in the 1970s and met Gutta Kranti at the Gandhi College in Wardha. The two fell in love and married, and Jwala was born to them in 1983, and became a badminton enthusiast aged nine. Jwala herself would admit that she could have achieved more. What went wrong? Was it the distraction of an unhappy marriage at age 21? Was it her spirit of a rebel that put her regularly in conflict with Badminton Authority of India officials, and even the feared and adored national coach, P Gopi Chand? Did her divorce play a part? Or the romantic link-up with, of all people, Mohammed Azharuddin, the controversial cricketer and politician and a fellow Hyderabadi? “The whole thing is so outrageous and funny,” Jwala noted in an interview in 2010. “I wish they had linked me with someone handsome, hot and young like a film star.” One can argue that such diversions as these can’t really help a sporting career; equally, it must be said that a sportsperson is not obliged to live her/his life as dictated by the fickle sporting fans and media. And Jwala did achieve much. She’s a medal winner at badminton’s World Championship — only one Indian had achieved that feat before her. She also won gold in the women's doubles at the 2010 Commonwealth Games. In pure sporting terms, that makes her incomparably superior to the politicians and bureaucrats who administer the sport. To top it, they are often unjust and ham-handed. That seems to be the case now. The BAI has recommended a life ban on Jwala for something that can, at most, only deserve a warning or a fine. The facts are these — during the Indian Badminton League in August, Jwala was involved in a controversy. During a tie between her team (Krrish Delhi Smashers) and Banga Beats, Jwala was the most vociferous with her protests when the opposing team replaced an injured player at the last moment before the match. Jwala, a doubles specialist, had also spoken against the scrapping of the women’s doubles event from the IBL; perhaps imprudently, she had also publicly taken a dig at Saina Nehwal after Saina had made some adverse comments on Taufik Hidayat, the former world and Olympic champion. When there’s a conflict between a sportsperson and administrators, the thumb rule should be to back the sportsperson — he/she, after all, only wants to play and excel. Administrators, or most of them, want power and ego-inflation, and often lack the wisdom of a real leader. In this case, the recommendation of the ban on Jwala is simply ridiculous. It’s excessive, hardly commensurate with Jwala’s lapse. The sports associations hold unlimited power over sportspersons. Thus, the BAI also withdrew her name from the Denmark Open (15-20 October), where she was to play with Ashwini Ponnappa. The officials don’t wish to resolve the matter with foresight and wisdom. They are, thus, trying to undo a knot with the tip of a sword. They wish to humiliate Jwala, teach her a lesson, break her spirit, because she was not “apologetic enough”. Jwala went to the Delhi High Court, which gave her relief, telling the BAI to let her play. After all, that’s all she wants to do — play. Jwala, still young and still a rebel, with no axe to grind in the badminton association, is not going to be cowed down.
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Bano, aged 22, was moved by the social and economic inequality among the weavers at Baragaon and Barabanki villages near Lucknow. This political science student, who was 19 then, decided she would make a difference in their lives. With the help of her cousin Nabila she established the Weaver’s Hut, a small-scale social enterprise, to strike at the root of discrimination and exploitation experienced by the artisans. She found the social status of weavers was extremely low, as were their educational and financial prospects. Weaving requires high labour input, but artisans achieve low productivity and carry health risks. Bano developed her technical and communication skills to help them. With her new entrepreneurial skills, she now provides a forum where weavers can sell their products in major cities, but this is only a small start to more far-reaching plans. She also intends to help them build life skills and gain education opportunity for their children. She hopes to expand this support, bringing professional and personal development to more artisans and the agriculture community in the future. Bano, who studied at Lady Shriram College, Delhi, began her journey with a course in “entrepreneurs of tomorrow”. Her ancestral village near Lucknow is famous for traditional handloom weaving, but for the past over four decades, the weavers have been facing cash crunch. “Coupled with discrimination, the Julahas find themselves in abject poverty. They are exploited by middlemen and they lack the means to market their products beyond a restricted geographic region,” says Fatima. The Weaver’s Hut mentors and trains weavers and connects them to urban markets. Fatima sells beautifully woven handicrafts in foreign markets.
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good news Amritsar has claimed top honours when it comes to theatre. From giving the entertainment industry something to laugh about, to legends like Rajesh Khanna and Mohd Rafi, the holy city has been nurturing talent. And at the centre of all this are Virsa Vihar and Punjab Naatshala, which form the epicentre of theatrical activity in the region.
Hosting internationally acclaimed theatre festivals, workshops and celebrated plays, the centres have supported the literary status of the region. For 16 years now, Punjab Naatshala has been a landmark, not only for being the mecca of theatre and art lovers, but also because of its unique foundation. The most sought-after cultural address in the country for art and theatre fraternity, Punjab Naatshala is even better now with technological advancements that add to the creative aura of the place. The docile and humble frame of the premises has been made stronger and perkier by using tools designed by patron Jatinder Brar. A mechanical engineer by profession and art patron by passion, Brar has customised most equipment being used as technical aide during performances. “When we started, the city had an audience for theatre but no space for it. Over the years, we have survived satellite television and other tools of entertainment, never once compromising on the quality of the theatre,” he says. Competing with the digital media, Punjab Naatshala is once again ready to adapt to the expectations of the audience. “We are competing with 3D, 4D and 5D technology, advancements are the need of the hour,” he says. Making an impact Virsa Vihar, on the other hand, has opened its arms to literary activities and social events. Multifunctional, it has constantly been a hub for budding writers, scholars and plays. The centres have hosted highly successful international theatre festivals that brought artistes from 10 nations together to stage a 10-day theatre extravanza, an annual national theatre festival, and an Indo-Pak theatre festival. From Grotowski’s abstract physical theatre to Tagore’s classics to Sufi ‘malangs’ of Pakistan and Mariachi band from Mexico, Naatshala and Virsa Vihar have impressed the best in international theatre. The assertion of supremacy comes when theatre personalities like Lillette Dubey, Mohan Agashey, Usha Ganguly, Nadira Babbar, Surjit Patar and Nita Mohindra promise to keep coming back to Amritsar for more. Anuradha Kapoor, director, National School of Drama, shared similar sentiments. Amritsar is the cultural hub of Punjab and is culturally oriented. With a centre like Punjab Naatshala, theatre intimacy becomes easy and effective. Celebrated and national award winning theatre artist Usha Ganguly, who had presented her play “Chandalika” at the Naatshala, hailed its efforts. “I have never seen such an amazing audience and setting for theatre in the country. The eco-friendly and intimate settings are humbling, while the emphasis is on the plays being staged and not the frills around the building. Metros have more in terms of theatre and plays, but they lack dedicated cultural spaces. A small city like Amritsar has done itself proud,” she says. Going modern While Virsa Vihar is modern and practical in its structure, Punjab Naatshala is more about connecting asthetics with theatre. Every year, Virsa Vihar hosts workshops for theatre talent, with over 200 aspiring actors coming together to carry forward the baton of literary and cultural traditions. Punjab Naatshala’s stage has been the stepping stone for many artistes like Bharti, Rajiv Thakur, Gurpreet Ghuggi and Kapil Sharma. “Most of these actors were associated with us since the very beginning. Our comedy play “Mirch Masala” has been running houseful for the longest period, and even today, our efforts are targeted at the youth,” says Brar. Maintaining the standard over the years, they have brought in some technical advancement. “I have travelled to many countries, observed their theatre culture and sensibilities. Theatre, like films, is going for a technological makeover. So, we decided to be a part of this advancement,” he says. |
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mulayam singh yadav, samajwadi party chief chandrababu naidu, tdp chief partap singh bajwa, punjab congress chief rahul gandhi, congress vice-president omar abdullah, j&k chief minister
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fatima
Neither the BJP nor the Congress would be able to form the government. We feel the Third Front government would be formed. The country’s next Prime Minister will be a Third Front candidate. 
I am using Italian to explain the situation in Andhra Pradesh because the Centre has failed to understand … coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema are ‘immobilismo’
[total standstill].
Sukhbir has reduced ministers of various departments to dummies. They are being made to sign on the dotted line. Only those files are cleared that are desired by him.
In a match between Germany and some other team, my grandmother [Indira] cheered for the weak team. She was shouted at and she sat down out of fear. She resolved never to be scared if doing the right thing.
The institution of mainstream politics is in danger today. Fingers are being pointed at us. We are not responsible for it, but we are paying the price.