When I was in Delhi last month for a small mehf-il, I saw a young girl named Shabnam, maybe ten years old, playing her board with such focus at the Metro station while her mother sold chai nearby. She beat three older boys in a row, including one who was practically boasting—that kind of shiddat reminds me of my own riyaaz, where the argument is only with the instrument, never with the crowd. But then I read that the top women's tournament in India still offers prize money less than half of the men's for the same number of rounds, and I think of Shabnam's face. We keep saying 'beta, padho, aage badho,' but if the purse doesn't match the effort, we are only telling half the story. Beti bachao is empty if we don't also beti padhao in her chosen game.
#india
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