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Tall tale

Why feel bad about being tall? It gives you an identity, says S. SUJATHA

In her 25 years of existence, Mallika, a basketball player all of 6'1", has faced several questions regarding her height. If some stopped with asking her how tall she exactly was, others wanted to know if she had touched the stars! She has taken it all in her stride. "After all, it is not my fault. I was born this way."

So, how does a tall girl face life? "When you're so tall that almost everyone you know just measures up to your chest, when you have to stoop to make eye contact and when it's a chore to find clothes that fit, it's so easy to feel this world isn't made for you," says Mallika.

It is uncommon to see a tall girl in India, where the average height of girls is 5'3". A girl who's 6 foot tall is seen as a freak. And, then, the questions start.

Says Kamali, an athlete: "When people see me, they invariably ask how tall I am, whether I play basketball or if my parents are tall."

Difficult situations

Though most of them laugh such comments off, their height can land them in inconvenient situations. Travelling is difficult. Sitting in an aircraft is no picnic. In buses, there is not enough leg space, and standing is a definite no-no. In trains, half the legs hang out of the berth. Buying readymade clothes and footwear is another problem.

Says Sonal, who stands tall at 6'1": "Only I know how depressed I feel on seeing my friends wear pretty clothes. Then, good sense prevails. That as a tall girl, my requirements are different. And that I have to dress according to my height."

On the family front, problems arise when it comes to finding a match. But some people are lucky. Like Durga Lakshmi, who towers at 6'3". Hers was an arranged marriage and Gopal, her 6'2" husband, believes she has brought him luck. His parents are thrilled at the attention the tall couple gets. Says Gopal's mother Vijaya: "We were scouting for a tall girl for Gopal for a long time till we found Durga. They look so perfect together that many ask me if theirs was a love marriage."

Durga inherited her height from her mother, Poorani, who is 5'8". "I am happy to have a tall daughter. I used to face a lot of barbs in my time because I was different. Now, I finally have company, and in my own home."

Sonal says the comments they face from childhood — "How's the weather up there?'' or "There goes half the palm tree'' — condition them into becoming bold and confident people.

And, though there are discomforts galore, being tall does have its advantages. One can see (and be seen) easily in a crowd. One can easily slam-dunk a basketball, and since, people tend to associate leadership abilities with tall people, they get all the good chances.

From school, they are noticed and given the responsibility of leading the class. They also get to enter sports activities without much competition. Volleyball, basketball, fencing and water polo — all need tall girls!

On the work-front too, being tall has its advantages. Customers admire tall sales people, for they are seen as more convincing, adds Sonal.

And, people remember those who are unusually tall. "I can never get lost in a crowd. The other day, an elderly man stopped me at a buffet and asked me how tall I was. When I replied, he remarked how wonderful it was to `have such a beautiful girl as tall as you'. I came back beaming," recalls Kamali.

Tall people are also in great demand around the house. Who else can reach the tallest shelf without the help of a stool?

Says Vidhya, a six-foot tall basketballer from Chennai, "Old women always want me to take things for them from the upper shelf in department stores."

After more than two decades of bearing the brunt of being tall, would Durga trade her height for anything? "I often try to think how life would be had I not been this tall. But, I have come to understand that it is part of my identity, something I am proud of,'' she says.

Her advice to tall girls? "Be proud of your height. Don't take cruel whispers to heart. Be comfortable in your skin. If you want to wear heels, go ahead. Why would you want to be like everyone else?

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