MUMBAI, March 12: For people like Rani Hamid, there is no such thing like Women's Day. One tends to look up to her every day, week and month of the year. Her saga is all the more inspirational as she comes from a land where fundamentalist rule the roost and women are repressed and dominated by male chauvinists.It's a stage when most people would have lived half their lives. Even many career-minded women think of things beyond office and profession. With lower energy levels than what they had in their youthful days, family and children become priority areas.But Rani was made of different stuff. She learnt the nuances of chess at 33 following a desire to do something in the sports field. When the first National Chess Championships for women was announced, her sights were focussed. Dr Rabumal Hussain, a National champion, knew of Rani's keenness and encourged her.Rani recalls: ``Hussain was teaching me how to write the moves, and I did not know to write at all! I was a simple housewife you see.'' Andnow, 22 years later, she remains Bangladesh's only International Woman Master (IWM).But the 12-time National champion is a sad woman. Winning National titles doesn't give her any pleasure, losing does!. In the two-decades plus years in the game, she has has tried initiating as many of her countrywomen into the game as possible. But only a handful attend the National championships. She even tried in vain to initiate her sisters to play the game.At 55, she is respected in all chess playing nations. Thrice she joined forces with her countrymen in the Chess Olympiad, besides four times playing on the women's team.Rani freaks out on the Bollywood world. She was desperate to meet Sunny Deol and Bobby Deol, who were shooting for a movie at the Club Aquaria, Borivli, where she is playing the Asian Zonals.Beyond chess - and film stars - Rani's life back in Bangladesh revolves around her husband, her four children - three son and a daughter - and three grandchildren.Her eldest son, Kaiser Hamidplayed football for Bangladesh's Mohd Sporting and then the Calcutta outfit by the same name. Her second son, Suhail is the National squash champion; third son Bobby also played for Mohd Sporting before turning his focus to become an engineer.Her daughter, Mita, she claims was a good chess player before turning her energies towards journalism. Rani compliments her husband, Retd Colonel MA Hussain. ``He goaded me into take up the game. He was basically a sportsman and liked the idea of me playing chess,'' she says.Rani justified her husband's faith by soon winning the National title and eight years after she started playing, became an International Woman Master.Any awards to go with the title? ``It was Bangladesh, not India,'' says Rani sarcastically. ``Only last year I got a National Award, the Jatio Podok. After the IWM title, I did not get any award, only a few stray felicitation from clubs.''The current National champion is unhappy that not many women are taking up the game. ``I wish thesituation was like in India where there are so many young girls playing the game,'' she says.As far as chess is concerned, India is like the big brother. Naturally the success of Vishwanathan Anand has gone down well in Bangladesh. ``We feel very proud about Anand's success. We feel he is almost like one of us.''At age 55, Rani is not finished yet. The women and the chess player who is respected in her country, has given something for the generations to remember - Mojar Khela Dhaka a book on chess which has run seven editions. Forget the Grandmasters for a moment, salute the grandmother! What a `GM'!.
