Almost Perfect — Stories Of Forgotten Indian Women Athletes
While some soar to stardom, others remain in the shadows despite their exceptional talents. Welcome to Almost Perfect, a captivating series that unearths the remarkable yet often overlooked stories of Indian women athletes
Even if you are not a sports enthusiast, you’ve most probably heard of Sania Mirza, Chekrovolu Swuro, PT Usha, Rani Rampal, Deepika Kumari, and Bachendri Pal. But what about Archana Venkataraman, Rita Gombu, Vandana Rao, and Sarita Devi?
Probably not.
While some soar to stardom, others remain in the shadows despite their exceptional talents. Welcome to Almost Perfect, a captivating series that unearths the remarkable yet often overlooked stories of Indian women athletes.
We shine the spotlight on those who competed alongside the best but never quite achieved the fame they deserved. Their names may not be etched in history, yet their resilience and determination inspire us.
This show is produced by Confluence Media for Radio Azim Premji University.
Credits:
Achie Humtsoe, Anisa Draboo, Gautam Datt, Jasleen Bhalla, Josy Joseph, Omair Farooq, and Siddhartha Mishra
Radio Azim Premji University:
Akshay Ramuhalli, Bijoy Venugopal, Bruce Lee Mani, Harshit Hillol Gogoi, Narayan Krishnaswamy, Prashant Vasudevan, Sananda Dasgupta, Seema Seth, Shraddha Gautam, Supriya Joshi, and Velu Shankar
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200 Metres From Glory — Rita Gombu Marwah’s Story
In 1984, Bachendri Pal became the first Indian woman to conquer Mount Everest. Rita Gombu Marwah, from a renowned mountaineering family, was part of the same expedition. Despite coming close to the summit, Rita was stopped by harsh weather conditions just 200 meters away. While Bachendri’s success brought joy, Rita and her teammates were haunted by missed opportunities, highlighting the bittersweet nature of sporting achievements. Listen to Rita’s story in the first episode of Almost Perfect
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Why ace archer Chekrovolu Swuro bowed out
Chekrovolu Swuro, the talented archer from Nagaland, represented India at the 2012 London Olympics. Followers of the sport may remember that she had competed in the same team as Deepika Kumari, the teenage sensation who rose to great heights. Despite culminating in defeat, Swuro’s story of resilience continues to enthuse aspiring archers. Listen to ‘Missing The Mark’, the second episode of the Radio Azim Premji University series ‘Almost Perfect’, which unearths the stories of Indian women athletes who competed alongside the best but fell short of success.
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Game. Set. Mismatch. No love lost for Archana Venkataraman
In the 1990’s, Archana Venkataraman was a star on the rise. Since she was four, her tennis-obsessed family shuttled her from one tournament to another, one coaching clinic to the next. At seventeen, she was crowned the National Champion. Her place did not go unchallenged. At the finals of the National Games in 2002, Archana came up against a younger, hungrier, grittier rival — 16-year-old Sania Mirza. Playing the newcomer on her home turf in Hyderabad and booed by a hostile crowd of spectators, Archana went down in a firestorm of deuces. It takes a lot to succeed in a sport as expensive and competitive as tennis, more so for an Indian woman. In over a century, only four have made it to a Grand Slam event. Viewed in that sobering light, Archana Venkataraman’s story is one worth telling. Listen to it on Almost Perfect.
