Dunking over barriers in maledominated sphere
LUCKNOW: To followers of women’s basketball in India, the ‘Singh sisters’ need no introduction. They have been at the forefront of breaking several barriers in a maledominated society through the game. The five sisters from Varanasi -- Prashanti, Divya, Akanksha, Pratima, and Priyanka -- have all excelled in the sport and are now role models for young women taking up the sport.
Four of them have represented the country in basketball while Priyanka, the eldest of the five sisters, was a trailblazer as she was the first to step on to the court and chose a career in sport. She has represented Uttar Pradesh and is now a National Institute of Sports basketball coach. It was a huge moment for the family when Prashanti was acknowledged for her contribution to the sport and honoured with the Arjuna award last year. Pratima is married to star Indian cricketer Ishant Sharma.
The trio of Prashanti, Akanksha and Divya shared their success stories at the Hindustan Shikhar Samagam. They credited their success to their mother who instilled self-belief in them.
The sisters revealed it was not easy to overcome the challenges in a male bastion. They faced obstacles along the way but remained unperturbed. “Not so long back boys used to run away from the court when asked to play with girls,”one of the sisters said.
“It was our mother who told us that we should strive for excellence in whatever we do,” said Akanksha while sharing how her mother used to tackle those who objected to girls playing competitive sport.
“...Pratima started playing in 2003, neighbours in Varanasi used to say many things that our mother had to counter. As a child it was fed in my mind that girls can also play like boys,” she said.
“It was not just playing but wearing shorts; sleeveless T-shirts were also an issue for many people...” Asked why they chose basketball, the sisters said the game is popular because it is played globally.
“It is tough and competitive also for the same reason,” said Prashanti. “But the good thing is that India is ranked 45th in FIBA world rankings,” said Prashanti who represented India in the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games.