Grappling with patriarchy

The women wrestlers' protest unveils the political patronage that undergirds India's deeply-rooted patriarchy

As the Delhi Police wrestle with the problem of pinning down Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, the embedded patriarchal structure of Indian society remains on open display. The current controversy emphasises that innate chauvinism acquires a toxic edge when it fuses with power, as the Kaiserganj MP’s public defiance shows. Strikingly, this applies not just to the realm of politics but the corporate world too where men dominate the fortunes of women.

By now, the sheer tenacity of the women wrestlers’ protest has attracted sympathy from many quarters, including, touchingly, the Cricket World Cup winning team of 1983. Only BCCI president