Editor’s Note: Sport the star!
Long before HT Brunch went digital and I had the luxury of utilising a full page in the magazine to address you readers, we featured two young female athletes on our cover
Long before HT Brunch went digital and I had the luxury of utilising a full page in the magazine to address you readers, we featured two young female athletes on our cover. It was an unusual selection, so I was itching to make a point.
The ladies in question were grandmaster Tania Sachdev and shooter Gauri Sheoran, both millennials at the top of their game. Yet, they didn’t enjoy mass popularity or instant recognition, and wouldn’t give our magazine the “pick-up value” a cover needs.
So, I made my point on Instagram.
I posted a photo of the cover with the caption: ‘All those who say the media doesn’t shine the spotlight on non-cricketing sportpersons and gives our female athletes a raw deal, please call me today.’ Then, for added effect, I hashtagged it, #ShortestEditNoteEver.
The response I got was worth it. Senior editors, sports writers, former colleagues called in, one top cricketer sent me a text, and social media followers responded with a thumbs up emoji or something equivalent.
Since then, we’ve featured several deserving sportspeople with no ‘pick-up value’ on the face of it.
We put Kashmiri football player Afshan Ashiq on our cover and highlighted the struggles she faced when playing what was perceived as “a man’s game.” Badminton player Jwala Gutta made a passionate spiel on body positivity. And boxer Sarjubala—from the North East like our cover star today—did a “no make-up look” for her cover shot, looked stunning and sent a strong message on her own.
More recently, we’ve had boxer Nikhat Zareen (before she won a gold medal at the 2022 IBS Women’s World Boxing Championships) and India’s No. 1 women’s singles tennis player Karman Kaur Thandi.
“This is the first time I’ve faced the camera for such a shoot,” today’s cover star and the captain of India’s women’s national football team, Loitongbam Ashalata Devi told us at the cover shoot last week.
We’ve heard the same from several of those named above. Sportspeople who will eventually go on to earn more money from brand endorsements and shoots like these as they get more successful at their sport, will remember HT Brunch as their first outing ever.
And you, dear reader, I’m going to hand you the stick of shame. Before you blame the media for not highlighting not so popular sports and athletes, ask yourself this: What have you done to ensure their pick-up value is at its best?
Also in this issue: India’s new body positivity icon Sameera Reddy flashes back to when she was 22. Spurred by Titanic director James Cameron’s recent comment, the Sunday Debate asks a seemingly unimportant question: Was there room for Jack on that raft?
And… Spectator Seema Goswami sums up her feelings about Prince Harry’s new book in two words: Spare us!
Enjoy the issue!
From HT Brunch, January 21, 2023
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