Special Episode: Mallika Ravikumar on The State League: Corruption, Courage and Indian Football
As the football World Cup draws to a close, we bring you a special conversation with returning guest Mallika Ravikumar, lawyer-turned-author of The State League. We talk corruption, courage and everything that happens beneath the surface of the beautiful game, plus her love for trees, her legal instincts, and the story she hasn't found the courage to tell yet. It's a conversation about finding your voice, choosing what to protect, and the quiet strength it takes to keep showing up. A fitting way to mark the tournament's final whistle.
🏆 The AboutHer Show is ranked in the Top 3 Indian Women's Leadership Podcasts on Feedspot.
Chapters:
(01:03) 🎙️ Welcome Back, Mallika — Sangeeta welcomes Mallika back to the show for a special conversation.
(02:20) 📖 Life Since Our Last Conversation — What's changed for Mallika as a writer since her last appearance.
(04:57) ⚽ Inside The State League — The story behind her leap into football, corruption and match-fixing.
(09:48) 👩 Women in the World of Football — The quiet cast of women behind the scenes of the sport.
(12:40) 🔥 Setting the Story in Manipur — Why she wove the novel into the backdrop of real conflict.
(15:25) 📱 The Power of Social Media Outrage — How online noise can end a career overnight.
(18:51) 🧒 Keeping the Young Players Human — Writing young athletes as people, not symbols of a broken system.
(20:19) 👧 What She Hopes Young Girls Take Away — Her message to girls watching her move across careers.
(22:40) 🏆 Winning Two Prizes in One Year — How recognition shifted her relationship with her own work.
(24:27) ✍️ Writing Hard Truths for Young Readers — Balancing nuance with accessibility for a young audience.
(26:56) 🌳 Her Love for Trees — The instinct behind Tree Talk and its link to her storytelling.
(28:47) ⚖️ How Law Shaped Her Writing — The courtroom discipline that quietly built this book.
(33:29)🕯️ The Story She Hasn't Found Yet — The one she hasn't yet had the courage or form to write.
(35:14)🎲 The Reveal — A quickfire, spontaneous round to close the conversation.
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