
Among the 14 million inhabitants of Calcutta are Shannu Baby and Shakila Baby, twins of the widowed Shannu Begum, living in the dingy Muslim neighborhood of Ekbalpore. These girls are determined to be boxing champions. But when the fight is over, they just want the opportunity of employment.
This is a story about possibility, of things about to happen – a story that is Muslim India now. The boxing girls are poised to deliver the one-two punch of their goal: to be independent and to break away from their conservative community. That is their dream. And arguably they’ve already succeeded.
David Trattles
www.davidtrattles.com