The fighters

07 May,2023 07:43 AM IST |  Mumbai  |  Rahul da Cunha

We’ve seen their faces, triumphant,as they held their arms aloft, the medals round their necks— their necks now in a noose

Illustration/Uday Mohite


They sit in the cold, they sit in the sun, they sit in the rain.

They sit waiting, for a verdict, for justice.

They wait to be heard. It's absurd.

They sit. To make a stand.

These are champions, Commonwealth winners made out to be sinners.

We've seen their faces, triumphant,as they held their arms aloft, the medals round their necks - their necks now in a noose

The once radiant faces are now sweaty with the strain

These are warriors, fighting for their colleagues. Including a minor

Mattresses soaked. Police provoked,

Manhandling the women

Women who've trained for years, grappled bias, fought for their independence their path to glory myriad back stories

They sit in the cold, they sit in the sun, they sit in the rain.

Also Read: What is common between Gandhi, Draupadi and Chanakya?

They sit waiting, for a verdict, for justice.

They wait to be heard. It's absurd.

They're wrestlers. Our wrestlers

They're stressed, distressed, they need recourse, they need support.

They have guts, given us glory,

They're the nation's pride, and now they sit forlorn in a city square.

As always there's deafening celeb silence… can we expect anything more.

They've been wronged

Justice prolonged

Aamir, where are you?

Where's your voice?

You made millions off their story.

The Phogats... gave you their facts

From which you made fiction

You made over 2,000 crore…

On Dangal the story of two daughters and a father

And what are they asking for in return for a tweet… some support, a rapport… you fed off their lives… Dangal emerged

Let's make a sequel to your film Call it Dangal 2

Or Dangal-The Daughters Return.

It's gotta be dark, gotta be daunting, gotta be devoid of dazzle just the harsh realities of being a modern day Indian woman athlete

And the antagonists in this case, a sleazy system and a sleazy chief

An oily ‘mantri', bejewelled and entitled Covered in gold necklaces, symbolic of the medals he never won.

Allegations of harassment.

He has clout, the lout.

They protest

They strike

They resist

They object

They fight, for their right

They lead a resistance

They sit in the cold, they sit in the sun, they sit in the rain.

They sit waiting, for a verdict, for justice.

They wait to be heard. It's absurd.

They're wrestlers. Our wrestlers

Our daughters.

Beti Bachao

Rahul daCunha is an adman, theatre director/playwright, photographer and traveller. Reach him at rahul.dacunha@mid-day.com

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