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By:

Quaid Najmi

4 January 2025 at 3:26:24 pm

Cricket’s Quiet Crusader

Former kca Selection Chief who helped nurture a generation of women cricketers when the sport struggled for recognition Niketha Ramankutty A prominent figure in Indian women’s cricket, Niketha Ramankutty — former Chairperson of the Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) Women’s Selection Committee and Manager of the Kerala State women’s teams — has long championed the game, especially when women’s cricket had little platform in her home state. Her dedication helped nurture girls taking to cricket...

Cricket’s Quiet Crusader

Former kca Selection Chief who helped nurture a generation of women cricketers when the sport struggled for recognition Niketha Ramankutty A prominent figure in Indian women’s cricket, Niketha Ramankutty — former Chairperson of the Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) Women’s Selection Committee and Manager of the Kerala State women’s teams — has long championed the game, especially when women’s cricket had little platform in her home state. Her dedication helped nurture girls taking to cricket in Kerala. During her tenure, which ended recently, five players from the state went on to represent India, while three now feature in the Women’s Premier League (WPL). Niketha’s journey began in 1995 on modest grounds and rough pitches in the blazing sun of her native Thrissur. At the time, girls aspiring to play cricket often drew curious stares or disapproving glances. This was despite Kerala producing some of India’s finest female athletes, including P.T. Usha, Shiny Wilson, Anju Bobby George, K.M. Beenamol and Tintu Luka. “Those were the days when women’s cricket did not attract packed stadiums, prime-time television coverage, lucrative contracts or celebrity status. Thankfully, the BCCI has taken progressive steps, including equal pay for the senior women’s team and launching the WPL. These have brought greater visibility, professional avenues and financial security for women cricketers,” Niketha said during a chat with  The Perfect Voice  in Pune. With better infrastructure, stronger domestic competitions and greater junior-level exposure, she believes the future of women’s cricket in India is bright and encourages more girls to pursue the sport seriously. Humble Beginnings Niketha began playing informal matches in neighbourhood kalisthalams (playgrounds) and school competitions before realising cricket was her true calling. Coaches who noticed her composure encouraged her to pursue the game seriously. More than flamboyance, she brought reliability and quiet determination to the turf — qualities every captain values when a match hangs in the balance. These traits helped her rise through the ranks and become a key figure in Kerala’s women’s cricket structure. “She was like a gentle messiah for the players. During demanding moments, they could rely on her – whether to stabilise an innings or lift team spirit,” recalled a former colleague. Guiding Youngsters Her involvement came when women’s cricket in many states struggled even for basic facilities. Matches were rarely covered by the media, and limited travel or training arrangements often tested players’ patience. “As a mother of two daughters—Namradha, 18, and Nivedya, 14—I could understand the emotions of the young girls in the teams. Guiding players through difficult phases and helping them overcome failures gave me the greatest satisfaction,” she said. Niketha — an English Literature graduate with a master’s in Tourism Management — believes success in sport demands not only skill but also sacrifice. Strong parental support and encouragement from her husband, Vinoth Kumar, an engineer, helped her overcome many challenges. Never one to seek the spotlight, she let her performances speak for themselves, earning respect on the national circuit. Quiet Legacy Today, the landscape has changed dramatically. Young girls are more ambitious, parents more supportive, and cricket is seen as a viable career with opportunities in coaching, umpiring, team management, sports analysis and allied fields. Players like Niketha have quietly strengthened the sport. Their journeys show that some victories are not won under stadium floodlights, but by determined women who simply refused to stop playing.

Can India become a Vishwaguru?

Updated: Oct 21, 2024

Can India become a Vishwaguru?

While attending an academic conference and staying near the very place where Swami Vivekananda addressed the World Parliament of Religions in Chicago, I was tempted to quote lines from his famous speech in 1893 that highlighted the magnificence of Hindu thought:

“I am proud to belong to a religion which has taught the world both tolerance and universal acceptance. We believe not only in universal toleration, but we accept all religions as true. I am proud to belong to a nation which has sheltered the persecuted and the refugees of all religions and all nations of the earth.

I will quote to you, brethren, a few lines from a hymn that I remember to have repeated from my earliest boyhood, which is every day repeated by millions of human beings: ‘As the different streams having their sources in different paths which men take through different tendencies, various though they appear, crooked or straight, all lead to Thee.’”

Swamiji’s clarion call in his speech to end “all uncharitable feelings between persons wending their way to the same goal” presents a new basis for the social, political, and economic transformation of the world. Going beyond the divisions of power, wealth, or religion, we need new thinking to create inclusive models of socio-economic progress that will see nations cooperate in the fields of education, entrepreneurship, technology, and sustainability to empower humanity to flourish collectively. In practice, this will reflect in the cessation of all wars, bringing back fairness in our collective conscience and demonstrating a willingness to share know-how to enable all humanity to progress. But how can such a goal be achieved? India can play an instrumental role by initiating new partnerships in the field of education around the world. Ancient Indian knowledge, with its emphasis on the oneness of spirit and value-based learning, can transform students’ formative attitudes in schools and colleges leading to a new generation of responsible global citizens and leaders. It can inspire inclusive policy-making in countries around the world, as it has done in India. For instance, by banking the unbanked and aiming to provide healthcare, food, and energy security to all households, India is implementing its age-old wisdom to take everyone forward.

Through initiatives such as the International Solar Alliance, International Yoga Day, start-up support, vaccine diplomacy, and presenting the G20 with the theme “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” (the world is one family), India has emphasised the principles of shared prosperity that define its global leadership.

India offers a glimmer of hope to a world torn apart by terrorism, exploitation, inequality, and racism because the spirit of love, acceptance, and tolerance, gushing through its arteries and veins, is ever reinforced by the belief in the oneness of God in its heart as Swamiji said in Chicago. The time has come for this unique message to reverberate worldwide, having within itself precious seeds of universal brotherhood, peace, and progress. And India is uniquely placed as the Vishwaguru with the moral authority to deliver it emphatically.

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