Kadambari on Assignment

Kadambari Murali is the sports editor of India’s Hindustan Times in New Delhi, and is currently in South Africa on assignment to follow the Indian national cricket team, as they enter battle against the Proteas at home.

gsport was privileged to spend some time with Kadambari during the first Test at Wanderers, where she was proud to report home on India’s very first Test match win against the Proteas in South Africa.

How did you become a sports journalist?

I always wanted to  write, and I always loved sports. It was a natural combination, I think.

How long have you been doing this?

Well, I got into it when I was 18, working for a newspaper called the Statesman, when I was still in college. As soon as I finished my B.A. degree in Political Science, I joined The Pioneer full-time as a trainee. It wasn’t in sports, but I was always trying to do sports, for love. Eventually they took pity on me, I think (laughs), and I got drafted into sports.

Are you happy to be doings sports journalism?

I absolutely love it, I can’t think of doing anything but sports journalism, if I had to be a journalist.

What do you like most about being a sports journalist?

Sport itself! Sport is not just about the sport per se, it encompasses life, it’s a reflection of life in every way. It’s got some tragedy, it’s got lots of fun, it’s in your face, it’s real, it’s happening! It has highs and lows, and enormous human drama. So it’s a reflection of life, and I think it’s totally fascinating.

What is your highlight in your sporting career?

Gosh, I hope I haven’t yet reached my highlight (laughs). I hope I have years ahead when I will look back and say, OK, this is what I love… There’ve been a gazillion moments which are far to many to detail, which I think have made me feel both happy and proud, and I guess I just enjoy being a sports reporter. There’s been too many, I think to name one highlight…

Is there something that you’d really still like to achieve in your sporting journalism career?

I don’t think I’ve achieved anything, really. I have mainly obeyed what many have directed (laughs). Being a woman, being in the sports world, it’s definitely a man’s world… Having said that, if you remove the gender equation from it, then, yeah, there still is so much more I have to do…

What would your ideal job entail?

My ideal job…. Doing I think what a lot of people would think would be the ideal job. You get paid to watch sport. I’m not so sure I want to spend my life doing this, because I’ve done a lot, I’ve done it for many years now, and I enjoy it enormously. But I also think that being a journalist detracts from your passion for the game as a fan. I think everything in life has to be balanced. Obviously, if you’ve got to be true to your profession, which in my case in point is as a cricket writer, then I can’t be true to my personal life, because I can’t have a personal life at this time, to be sure. So I think there’s a balance to be achieved, and that I think is where the crossroads is going to happen for me.

What would your advice be to aspirant journalists who look at your at your success, and would like to follow in your footsteps?

Follow your heart, I think… Follow your heart, and you have to believe in yourself. You have to believe that you can do it. I think you have to, for a woman especially I think, this is not just about sports journalism, but yet, more about sports journalism, because it’s considered so much of a ‘jock’ kind of thing, but I think you just have to stand out there, and say: ‘What the heck, I’m going to do this come what may!’ Don’t give up!

Tell us a little bit about yourself: What is your star-sign?

Leo.

What is your favourite food?

I’m used to Indian food, but Thai vegetarian, I think…

What is your favourite music?

Mush. Unadulterated mush, I think (laughs). You know, stuff like any mushy song in the world, I’m a romantic at heart, and anything that is kind of nice and soft, anything from Frank Sinatra to Perry Como (it’s basically slow soppy sentimental music)- and some rock, I love the Eagles, I love Dire Straits, yeah, a bit of everything.

What is your favourite sport?

Cricket!

And your favourite sports stadium in the world?

I think it would have to be … I think Newlands, Cape Town is beautiful, in the backdrop of Table Mountain, its fantastic! But my favourite stadium, in terms of most fun (laughs), Trinidad!

Who is your favourite sports star?

It would have to be Sachin Tendulkar. Tendulkar is a little older than I am, and while growing up I fell in love with cricket. From as little as four years old, I was playing with the guys in the streets…  As someone who started understanding the sport, we used to hear about this kid from Bombay who is doing well, and he eventually became Sachin Tendulkar. For a lot of us he was I guess inspiring, to know that this kid was doing things that an adult did, so he was kind of larger than life for us…

Who is your favourite female sports star?

I really liked the spirit of the Williams sisters when they came in (to tennis), they were aggressive, they competed, and they made no bones about what they were about, you know… I like the way Venus Williams spoke, the couple of times I met up with them. I liked the way that they were unashamedly themselves, that was great, because it was more ‘jock’ than the men, and I think it was necessary. I love Sania (Mirza)’s attitude, professionally, I think she’s a hell of a lot for women’s tennis in India. She’s given a face to women’s sports in India. The fact that she’s a Muslim is fascinating from a social point of view, especially at this point in time when there’s a pan-Islamic movement sweeping across the world. If you see it in the political (perspective), you find a conservative Islamic sector, and at the same time you have this young Muslim girl… It’s just a fascinating story. I think she’s very representative of the young cosmopolitan India, which is brash and in-your-face, aggressive…

What is your favourite international destination?

My favourite destination would have to be something connected to sport, the West Indies, I love the West Indies… it’s a mixture of the cricket, the atmosphere, I’d love to go back.

Will you be in the West Indies for the 2007 Cricket World Cup.

Oh, no, I had to choose between the World Cup and this, and I chose this because I love Test cricket.

What is your impression of South Africa as a visitor?

I don’t think I can get enough of it on a cricket tour, I think I’ll have to come back and see it, because it’s got so many levels to it. In a political/social/cultural ethos, everyone has been really friendly, but there are obvious undercurrents which I think you can’t really understand, it’s fascinating history… I’m reading a book on (Albert) Sisulu, I’ve read Nelson Mandela’s book, studied South African history, it is fascinating.

Are you likely to vacation in South Africa?

Yes, definitely. 100%, I think it’s beautiful!

What would you tell native Indians about South Africa, to describe it’s peoples in a nutshell?

I think South Africa is very much like India, in a state of flux, I think that when people say that South Africa’s strength is diversity, I think that this is true, but only if it’s used properly, otherwise it can implode, like India (can).

What can you tell South African readers about India.

India is a beautiful country, and it’s strength is its diversity, remarkably similar in terms of the social/political upheaval, and like South Africa, it is a country waiting to find it’s potential, and find it’s part.

What are the most important issues in Indian sport?

I think there is a lack of a system in Indian sport, we have a huge resource base, in terms of it’s people, but it’s not being properly utilised. I’m not so sure whether India is a sporting nation, but I think a sporting nation can only be formed by instilling a sporting culture.

Do you keep fit, and what do you do?

I gym, and I play squash, when I can. I try to go to the gym five, six times a week when I’m at home, but the problem is I’m not always at home. That creates a problem. Then I put on weight. Then I get depressed. I’m a woman!

What is it about sport that keeps your interest?

Everything. I can’t see myself cut off from sport.

gsport focuses on femininity, what is your take on femininity, and femininity in sport?

I think femininity is not about bra-burning, it’s not about aggressive, I think it’s a combination… It’s charm, femininity is intelligence, femininity is faith and belief, confidence, and an ability to rise above yourself. An ability to compete with men, and be a woman still.

A commonly-encountered response to women in sport is speculation about sexual orientation, etc. What is your response:

I think that’s a bull**** thing, I think sexual orientation is a private consideration, and is irrespective of whether you’re a woman in sport or not. To make generalisations, whether you’re a man or a woman, is unfair.

Have you visited the gsport website?

What do you think of it, and do you think it’s a necessary project? Yes, I saw it briefly… I think it’s necessary, and I think it’s wonderful. I hope that there is something like that in India, I hope we can do something like that. There are women in sport in India in various fields, but we tend to look only at the persons who are obvious, whether they’re writers, or whether they’re sports athletes. We don’t look at the people who are behind the scenes, and who do a hell of a lot for sport, without making a big to-do about it. I think it’s necessary, because sport and people in sport do not view men and women equally. I think it’s necessary, and I think (what gsport is doing) it is wonderful!