Malavika’s Mumbaistan: Wrestling Words

Vinesh Phogat, the first Indian woman wrestler to win gold in both Commonwealth and Asian Games and one of the seven female athletes to have originally lodged a police case against Singh accusing him of sexual harassment, said: I have only felt a deep sense of humiliation since I mustered the courage to protest

Dreadful, horrifying, horrible, shocking, hideous, grim, ghastly, heinous, vile, nightmarish, unspeakable, loathsome, monstrous, abhorrent.

Malavika’s Mumbaistan: Wrestling Words

Sometimes words fail you. Sometimes all you can do to articulate your thoughts on an appalling situation, is turn to a Thesaurus…

So, take your pick: Add any of the following words to the sentence below it: ‘Dreadful, horrifying, horrible, shocking, hideous, grim, ghastly, heinous, vile, nightmarish, unspeakable, loathsome, monstrous, abhorrent, detestable, hateful, execrable, abominable, atrocious, sickening, nauseating.’

The fact that Indian wrestlers, including Olympic medallists, have been protesting for months, seeking the arrest of Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Singh– a member of parliament from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) – on the grounds of sexual harassment without receiving justice is...

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Or how about this one: To hear Vinesh Phogat, the first Indian woman wrestler to win gold in both Commonwealth and Asian Games and one of the seven female athletes to have originally lodged a police case against Singh accusing him of sexual harassment, say “I have only felt a deep sense of humiliation since I mustered the courage to protest.”, and add “It was the same disgusting pattern over and over again and I am among the victims,” and state, in her police complaint that she even contemplated suicide after the “mental trauma” she experienced is…

‘Distressing, upsetting, disturbing, heart-rending, sad, tragic, painful, saddening, traumatic, agonising, desolating, harrowing, excruciating, upsetting, worrying, affecting, painful, traumatic, agonising, harrowing, tormenting; sad, saddening, pitiful, heartbreaking, heart-rending, disturbing, concerning, unsettling, disquieting; shocking, alarming; informal gut-wrenching’.

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To learn that Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who is facing allegations of sexual harassment by women wrestlers, not only roams free of arrest, but in a show of brute power organises a rally at Gonda in Uttar Pradesh this Sunday to mark nine years of the Narendra Modi government is…

‘Disgraceful, shocking, outrageous, monstrous, criminal, wicked, sinful, shameful, atrocious, appalling, terrible, dreadful, disgusting, abhorrent, despicable, deplorable, reprehensible, obscene, iniquitous, inexcusable, intolerable, insupportable, unforgivable, unpardonable.’

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To see pictures of India’s most celebrated sports women and men being manhandled and dragged on the streets by the police is...

‘Disgraceful, deplorable, despicable, contemptible, dishonourable, discreditable, reprehensible, base, mean, low, blameworthy, unworthy, ignoble, shabby, inglorious, infamous, unprincipled, shocking, scandalous, outrageous, abominable, atrocious, appalling, disgusting, vile, odious, monstrous, heinous, unspeakable, loathsome, sordid, bad, wicked, immoral, nefarious, indefensible, inexcusable, unforgivable’.

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To read the following words in the wrestler’s statement, “All of you saw whatever happened on May 28. The way we were treated and detained by the police. The police not only cleared out our protest area at Jantar Mantar, but also registered FIRs against us, despite the fact that we were protesting peacefully. Have female athletes committed some crime by asking for justice for the sexual harassment committed against them? We have been treated like criminals” is….

‘Heart breaking, distressing, upsetting, disturbing, heart-rending, sad, tragic, painful, saddening, traumatic, agonising, desolating, harrowing, excruciating’.

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To watch as the country’s prized sportspersons who have brought India so much pride and joy, are treated in such a cavalier fashion is harrowing. These are people -especially the women- who have fought a million odds and challenges to reach where they have. To destroy their mental and physical health at the peak of their careers is an…

‘Atrocity, abomination, disgrace, outrage, monstrosity’.

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When you think of the complete lack of…

‘Empathy, compassion, brotherly love, fellow feeling, humaneness, kindness, kind-heartedness, consideration, understanding, from the powers that be on this issue, you cannot help thinking that it is…

Unambiguously, unmistakably, indisputably, incontrovertible, indubitable, undeniably; clearly plainly, explicitly, specifically, categorically, outright, downright, directly, straightforwardly, bluntly, outspokenly, candidly, point-blankly, positively, certainly, decisively, emphatically.’

Anti-people and undemocratic.

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The inability to recognise how deeply people across the board have been shocked by the inaction and non-arrest of Singh, makes you wonder at the government’s...

‘Narrow-minded, petty-minded, petty, mean, mean-spirited, mean-minded, uncharitable, ungenerous, grudging, close-minded, short-sighted, myopic, blinkered, inward-looking, narrow, conventional, unimaginative, parochial, provincial, insular, small-town, intolerant, illiberal, reactionary, conservative, hidebound, dyed-in-the-wool, diehard, limited, restricted, set in one’s ways, inflexible, dogmatic, rigid, entrenched, prejudiced, bigoted, biased, partisan’. point of view.

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After its mishandling of the Farmers’ Protests against the three farm acts, that were passed by the Parliament of India in September 2020, which the union government had to later repeal, one would have thought that it would have learnt to recognise a tipping point in a burning issue; one that has captured the imagination of the populace and have acted accordingly, at least for purpose of saving its public image. The fact that it still appears to shield Singh and his cohorts clearly indicates a chink in its reading of public sentiment and its cynicism about its ultimate…

‘Supremacy, ascendancy, dominance, domination, superiority, predominance, pre-eminence, primacy, hegemony, authority, mastery, control, command, direction, power, sway, rule, government, jurisdiction, sovereignty, suzerainty, lordship, overlordship; leadership, influence; the upper hand, the whip hand, the edge, advantage, hold, grasp; archaic empire; rare predomination.’

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Few situations...

‘Messes, tangles, bungles, mix-ups, misunderstandings, mistakes, foul-ups, screw-ups’ in a nation’s life, have the potential to become such an emotive rallying point and the heart -rending plight of Phogat and Singh’s other accusers, appears to be one such.

Even at this late stage, will the powers that be do the right thing and support the women wrestlers in their fight for justice?

One waits to see if Sports Minister Anuraag Thakur’s 15- June deadline for assurance that Singh will be arrested, will be honoured.

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Because, if like the other assurances given to the wrestlers ever since January when they launched their protests, it is not, then surely it will be the last...

‘Straw, aggravation, irritation, provocation’.

- that breaks the camel’s back.