Who in their right mind would compare Sunita Williams with Rakhi Sawant? While the former is a world-record-breaking space explorer, the first woman in just so many ways, the latter is merely a Bollywood ‘item girl’. In mainstream India, the two women exist at opposite ends of the acceptability continuum. While Sunita is lionised as the brainy Indian goddess, the heroine of our times, worthy of our prayers and blessings; Rakhi is derided as the sexy Indian, vamp of our times, worthy only of our voyeurism.

Most Indians, in fact, would be enraged by the very idea of a comparison: what an insult to Sunita, they would say. And yet Sunita Williams and Rakhi Sawant must be compared. Not to create false dilemmas between goddesses and bitches or to use one kind of woman to do down another. Sunita and Rakhi must be compared to demonstrate that women’s emancipation is as much about class and opportunity as it is about celebrating a woman’s individual contribution to her own success. Put another way, they must be compared to demonstrate that women’s emancipation entails building mutual respect and empathy for all kinds of women

regardless of their background, starting and finishing points.

Appropriated as ‘our own’ after her stupendous success, we have imposed upon Sunita Williams an Indian identity despite obvious facts about her citizenship. Recast in this tri-coloured hue, Sunita now represents to us the best that Indians can produce and serves as a role model for every little Indian girl — and boy. We can do it, she seems to say to us in not so many words, because it is in our Indian genes to be strong, determined and dedicated! In the midst of our self-applause and self-congratulations, America’s role in educating her, nurturing her talents and providing her with the right opportunities is naturally relegated to the incidental. So is its equal contribution to her genetic pool.

... contd.