C hampions define themselves in their dreams and then work incredibly
hard every single day to be successful. It has been no different for
Saina Nehwal. From the age of 12, Saina’s truly big, ambition was to win
a medal at the Olympics. It was what the posters held up by her early
fans goaded her on to achieve. It was what she believed she could do. A
decade is about how long it takes to mature and become world class,
especially if you happen to be the girl next door coming up from
nothing. Along the way there have been many successes, making Saina one
of the top players in the world. There was also the Beijing Olympics in
2008 where she came within kissing distance of a medal. But in all those
long hours of training and conditioning, the big matches won and lost,
the stage was really being set for the 2012 Olympics in London. This is
the first complete story of that epic struggle. It is an exciting record
of how a young girl supported by her middleclass parents decided to
take on the world. With title wins at the Thailand Open and Indonesia
Open, five weeks before the Olympics, Saina is one of India’s strongest
medal prospects.
Saina with parents Harvir Singh, Usha Rani and sister Abu Chandranshu
A STAR IS BORN The Hindi news was being broadcast on All India Radio
when Dr Harvir Singh’s second child arrived in the world. That is how
the father remembers that evening, on 17 March 1990, when Saina Nehwal
was born. And adds fondly that it was perhaps a sign to him that the
child was herself destined to make headlines in time to come.
It was a week or so after Saina arrived that Usha Rani’s mother came to see the baby and almost a month lapsed before her father’s side of the family visited Hisar from their village. Harvir says, “I had to listen to sarcastic barbs. My mother said, Tu to bulaata bhi nahi
hai (You never call us to your home).”
THE GRANDMA CONTROVERSY Many years later, a news magazine quoted Saina as saying “her grandmother was not too happy that Harvir and Usha Rani had had a second daughter”. That one of India's most famous and successful daughters, who is now most definitely a youth icon, had been an unwanted girl child, at least for some in the family, was too ironic a symbolism for the media to let it pass. It was picked up widely, magnifying what is accepted in many parts of India as an everyday truth that may not make many realists raise even an eyebrow. But in the world of news, it became a scandalous revelation that underlined the existing gender bias in India.
The family was upset about the unnecessary public embarrassment of an elder of the family. It created fissures in the family. Harvir was told by his brother that it was not fair of Saina to have talked about her late grandmother like this. Harvir agrees the controversy was avoidable. However, open and straightforward as he always is, he points out that in Haryana if the first child is a girl, people are likely to congratulate you, though there won't be a big celebration. But if the second child is also a girl, Harvir says with a laugh, the chances are that the attitude will change to offering solace — “Chalo, koi baat nahin (It doesn’t matter, such things happen).”
Saina with parents Harvir Singh, Usha Rani and sister Abu Chandranshu
A STAR IS BORN The Hindi news was being broadcast on All India Radio
when Dr Harvir Singh’s second child arrived in the world. That is how
the father remembers that evening, on 17 March 1990, when Saina Nehwal
was born. And adds fondly that it was perhaps a sign to him that the
child was herself destined to make headlines in time to come.
It was a week or so after Saina arrived that Usha Rani’s mother came to see the baby and almost a month lapsed before her father’s side of the family visited Hisar from their village. Harvir says, “I had to listen to sarcastic barbs. My mother said, Tu to bulaata bhi nahi
hai (You never call us to your home).”
THE GRANDMA CONTROVERSY Many years later, a news magazine quoted Saina as saying “her grandmother was not too happy that Harvir and Usha Rani had had a second daughter”. That one of India's most famous and successful daughters, who is now most definitely a youth icon, had been an unwanted girl child, at least for some in the family, was too ironic a symbolism for the media to let it pass. It was picked up widely, magnifying what is accepted in many parts of India as an everyday truth that may not make many realists raise even an eyebrow. But in the world of news, it became a scandalous revelation that underlined the existing gender bias in India.
The family was upset about the unnecessary public embarrassment of an elder of the family. It created fissures in the family. Harvir was told by his brother that it was not fair of Saina to have talked about her late grandmother like this. Harvir agrees the controversy was avoidable. However, open and straightforward as he always is, he points out that in Haryana if the first child is a girl, people are likely to congratulate you, though there won't be a big celebration. But if the second child is also a girl, Harvir says with a laugh, the chances are that the attitude will change to offering solace — “Chalo, koi baat nahin (It doesn’t matter, such things happen).”
Though that has been the social environment in Haryana, Harvir
insists that it is not the way his family reacted to Saina's birth. “Two
of my brothers already had two sons each by the time Saina was born. So
to have two daughters in the family was a blessing. My elder daughter,
Abu Chandranshu, was in fact the first girl born in the family after my
elder sister.”
GAME IN THE GENES Saina, it would seem, acquired the flair to play badminton from her parents. Both Harvir and Usha are good players and once Chandranshu became a bit older, the couple picked up the racquet again. It helped that the university residential quarters also housed a badminton court and soon the exploits of Usha and Harvir made them a popular sporting couple. A local newspaper, Nabchor Daily, even featured the two after they won the mixed doubles title at a local tournament. But Usha was considered the better player and friends with the intention to tease Harvir challenged him one day to defeat Usha in a match. Harvir agreed to treat them to Campa-Cola (a popular aerated drink in those days) if Usha got the better of him. But realizing the treat will burn a hole in his pocket, Harvir requested Usha to let him win! The wife complied.
FIRST BLOOD Saina introduction to professional badminton came by chance in December 1998. Harvir, as sports secretary of the Agricultural University, visited the Lal Bahadur Indoor Stadium in Hyderabad to enquire about hiring it for a tournament. The stadium was 25 km from the university, but Saina had gone along. Like all little kids, the precocious side of Saina took over when she spotted the racquets kept by the courts. As she started playing with the racquets, Saina caught the eye of the badminton coach, PSS Nani Prasad Rao.
RIDING TO SUCCESS Like most Indian middle-class families in those days, Harvir Singh also owned a Bajaj Chetak scooter, HRF 5859. When he moved to Hyderabad, the number changed to AP 13 P 9436. This 1978 model remained one of his prized possessions. It is now used by his technician, Shaukat Ali. “I rode some 11,000 km on that scooter in one single years, in 1999. That was the year Saina started her badminton. So it was that scooter that took her to all badminton events in Hyderabad, apart from home to the stadium every morning. So you can imagine the important part the scooter has played in Saina’s badminton career,” says Harvir.
AND DID YOU KNOW? Saina’s family has tried to ensure her roots from Haryana are not completely severed. They bought a house in her name in Palam Vihar in Gurgaon, where her uncle’s family now lives. Her Haryanvi identity would have been complete had she accepted Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda’s offer in July 2010 of appointing her as a Deputy Superintendent of Police. Saina chose not to trade her T-shirt for a police uniform and it is difficult to imagine what she would have been like in that role. Her fans took Hooda’s offer with a laugh and one of them tweeted that she was already a DSP: Daring, Simple, Polite. But to go back in time, Harvir and his family were destined to bid goodbye to Hisar.
FAMILY TIES While Saina Nehwal was fast becoming a known name in India’s junior badminton circuit, the everyday routine of taking her for practice was quite strenuous for her parents. It was a 25 km ride on the scooter from Rajendranagar to the stadium and Saina had to be there very early. This meant the child had to be up at four in the morning. Many a time Saina would doze off on the back seat of the scooter, which prompted Usha Rani to accompany the father and daughter. In March 2000, the family purchased a Maruti 800 car only for Saina.
FINDING HER GURU Those were heady days for Indian badminton. Pullela Gopichand had replicated the feat of the legendary Prakash Padukone by winning the All-England Championship in 2001. The victory inspired a badminton wave in the country and especially enthused kids like Saina who had occasionally seen Gopi practice on a neighbouring court. Badminton pundits credit Gopi’s triumph with having led to new talent taking to the game in India in the first decade of 2000. But her expenses were mounting. The commute from home to stadium and back twice a day and the cost of training, shoes and shuttlecocks was setting the family back by Rs 12,000 every month. The tightrope walk continued till Yonex Sunrise Sports offered to sponsor Saina’s kit in 2002.
GAME IN THE GENES Saina, it would seem, acquired the flair to play badminton from her parents. Both Harvir and Usha are good players and once Chandranshu became a bit older, the couple picked up the racquet again. It helped that the university residential quarters also housed a badminton court and soon the exploits of Usha and Harvir made them a popular sporting couple. A local newspaper, Nabchor Daily, even featured the two after they won the mixed doubles title at a local tournament. But Usha was considered the better player and friends with the intention to tease Harvir challenged him one day to defeat Usha in a match. Harvir agreed to treat them to Campa-Cola (a popular aerated drink in those days) if Usha got the better of him. But realizing the treat will burn a hole in his pocket, Harvir requested Usha to let him win! The wife complied.
FIRST BLOOD Saina introduction to professional badminton came by chance in December 1998. Harvir, as sports secretary of the Agricultural University, visited the Lal Bahadur Indoor Stadium in Hyderabad to enquire about hiring it for a tournament. The stadium was 25 km from the university, but Saina had gone along. Like all little kids, the precocious side of Saina took over when she spotted the racquets kept by the courts. As she started playing with the racquets, Saina caught the eye of the badminton coach, PSS Nani Prasad Rao.
RIDING TO SUCCESS Like most Indian middle-class families in those days, Harvir Singh also owned a Bajaj Chetak scooter, HRF 5859. When he moved to Hyderabad, the number changed to AP 13 P 9436. This 1978 model remained one of his prized possessions. It is now used by his technician, Shaukat Ali. “I rode some 11,000 km on that scooter in one single years, in 1999. That was the year Saina started her badminton. So it was that scooter that took her to all badminton events in Hyderabad, apart from home to the stadium every morning. So you can imagine the important part the scooter has played in Saina’s badminton career,” says Harvir.
AND DID YOU KNOW? Saina’s family has tried to ensure her roots from Haryana are not completely severed. They bought a house in her name in Palam Vihar in Gurgaon, where her uncle’s family now lives. Her Haryanvi identity would have been complete had she accepted Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda’s offer in July 2010 of appointing her as a Deputy Superintendent of Police. Saina chose not to trade her T-shirt for a police uniform and it is difficult to imagine what she would have been like in that role. Her fans took Hooda’s offer with a laugh and one of them tweeted that she was already a DSP: Daring, Simple, Polite. But to go back in time, Harvir and his family were destined to bid goodbye to Hisar.
FAMILY TIES While Saina Nehwal was fast becoming a known name in India’s junior badminton circuit, the everyday routine of taking her for practice was quite strenuous for her parents. It was a 25 km ride on the scooter from Rajendranagar to the stadium and Saina had to be there very early. This meant the child had to be up at four in the morning. Many a time Saina would doze off on the back seat of the scooter, which prompted Usha Rani to accompany the father and daughter. In March 2000, the family purchased a Maruti 800 car only for Saina.
FINDING HER GURU Those were heady days for Indian badminton. Pullela Gopichand had replicated the feat of the legendary Prakash Padukone by winning the All-England Championship in 2001. The victory inspired a badminton wave in the country and especially enthused kids like Saina who had occasionally seen Gopi practice on a neighbouring court. Badminton pundits credit Gopi’s triumph with having led to new talent taking to the game in India in the first decade of 2000. But her expenses were mounting. The commute from home to stadium and back twice a day and the cost of training, shoes and shuttlecocks was setting the family back by Rs 12,000 every month. The tightrope walk continued till Yonex Sunrise Sports offered to sponsor Saina’s kit in 2002.
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