Many of us are in awe of the determination and courage of PV Sindhu, who is the 1st Indian shuttler to win gold at the World Championships. Her hard work and determination are definitely the cornerstones of her success. But there are countless sacrifices that PV Sindhu’s father and mother did to ensure India gets her first Badminton World Champion!
In a society like ours where being a woman brings its own set of challenges, raising a daughter who plays sports could be quite challenging.
It is not coincidental that athletes like Sania Mirza, Saina Nehwal, and PV Sindhu on so many occasions came forward to speak about how their parents fought against society to stand for their dreams. Saina Nehwal shared how her own grandmother refused to even look at her because she wanted to have a grandson. But, her parents made sure that their daughter’s potential is not limited by the orthodox and unfair thought of society.
Like Saina, even PV Sindhu’s success journey wouldn’t have been possible without the support of her father PV Ramana. His unconditional support gave PV Sindhu the conviction that she can get whatever she sets her eyes on.
PV Sindhu Father’s Endless Support & Sacrifices
As PV Sindhu became the World Champion, her proud father – who relentlessly sacrificed his life in helping his daughter reach the moon – had all the reason to celebrate. Her father shared:
“I always believed that she would conquer the world. Today, she made me very proud. I had tears in my eyes. She missed the gold very narrowly twice but today she was on top from the first point.”
Ramana, himself being a volleyball payer who was a part of the national team that won bronze at 1986 Seoul Asian Games, had helped PV Sindhu in improving her game.
Usually very soft-spoken, it is tough to imagine Sindhu being aggressive but you have to see her game to believe it. It was Ramana who taught Sindhu how to be aggressive. Ramana has also been the one who laid the foundation of discipline in Sindhu’s life.
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During one of the interviews after Sindhu’s Olympic silver medal win, JBS Vidyadhar, a former India doubles player, elaborated on the struggles and hard work that went into making Sindhu a world-class player.
“Waking up every day at 3 AM and taking Sindhu for training close to 12 years is not a joke. From Marredpally her father used to drop and pick her up from Gopichand’s Academy at Gachibowli, driving 60-kilometer twice a day.”
A. Chowdary, Joint Secretary, Badminton Association of India, also mentioned how PV Sindhu’s father would massage her feet when she would get tired from all the practice and would go wherever she went. He further added:
“When everybody was fast asleep they woke up for a cause. Ramana gave up everything for Sindhu. He used to follow his daughter like a shadow whereever she went to play. He was seen in Nellore, Ravulapalem, Bhimavaram, Chirala and Vijayawada during the State tournaments and national events. Ramana’s wife Vijayalakshmi sought voluntary retirement from the Railways to take care of her daughter’s career.”
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And, it is no reason why PV Sindhu calls herself blessed to have such supportive parents.
“I am lucky to have sportspersons as parents. They supported me in whichever sport I wanted to play. People ask me why not volleyball as both parents were volleyball players. My parents supported my decision to take up badminton. I have reached wherever I have because of the sacrifices of my parents”
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As the whole country is in awe of PV Sindhu and her success, we would also like to celebrate her selfless father & mother who worked really hard to make their daughter’s dream a reality. At IFORHER, we salute every parent who tries relentlessly to give their kid a better life – a life full of health, happiness, and hope. More power to them!
P.S. Though this article is focused on PV Sindhu’s father, that doesn’t mean her mother didn’t contribute to her exemplary career. We admire her father and mother equally for their selfless sacrifices.
