Silver is the new Gold

Silver is the new Gold. We know how obsessed we are with metal Gold, have we ever loved Silver over Gold, I dont think so. Thanks to the Badminton Ace Sindhu for bringing over this new trend of loving silver instead of Gold. Her Silver medal did seem very precious than anything to us.
She definitely deserved Gold but there was someone even better than her who flew away with Gold after playing the toughest and perhaps the most interesting game of her life. But none of us have been mean to Sindhu for not winning the best. We were contended with the second best and rained accolades for her performance. But why?? because we all witnessed how well our girl fought giving all she had and did not loose her spirits for once. Dont you think she had the greatest pressure of winning a Gold for her country which has been waiting in extreme eagerness?As a nation we never really cared when the sports champions other than cricketers excelled in many international sporting arenas. Because this is bigger than any other sporting event, and our champions forayed into finals despite so many drawbacks in the nation, we googled them to cheer them. Sadly, they have to be googled because we never knew them before. We might have found their names appear here and there but because it was not cricket or movies or scandalous, we did not care. Isnt it unfortunate? How many of us knew that Sindhu is already received a Padmasri. Now we go gaga over celebrating their success. Nevertheless, I am happy that we are looking beyond cricket and movies at least now. The welcome celebration for these winning champs is even more exciting and definitely the best. they have been felicitated very well although they were not facilitated with best sporting infrastructure before. 

There might be a million praises for Sindhu. Sakshi & Deepa, but to me they proved something else. Let me throw some light on what I felt after their winning. 

Settling for less: Yes, I mean they settled for less. It is not a joke to contend in the worlds best sporting arena with the kind of training standards that are not in par to the rest of the world and reach the finals. That itself is a greatest achievement. To win a medal is an extra boon. And not to forget they all are first timers. How could one not appreciate Carolina Marine's play, she was extremely good but Sindhu did not get discouraged. Thanks to Gopichand for mentoring her to be so strong in such pressure. She bounced back with so much force each time we thought she would loose. I had goosebumps at her display of perseverance. But the fact is Carolina was better and she won Gold and Sindhu had to accept the Silver. But with great sporting spirit she happily accepted it. Shouldnt we learn such spirit? Same with Sakshi, had she lost her hope, she would have been floored by the Khazakistan player easily. It was the few seconds, she reserved her place for bronze. And of course Deepa, who performed the best and won appreciation for her never let down performance though she couldnt win a medal. To those parents who push your children to any extent to win and when they dont, the way you make them feel worthless, this is tight slap on your face. Push your children to give their best not to win or loose. How many children and youngsters took to suicide unable to battle the pressure of loosing? Even after loosing, how many of us would have given several reasons or cried foul over the winner instead of accepting the fact? The attitude comes out of great upbringing, decent guidance and immense clarity. 

Knowing once own ground: I think the people, it could be the coach, parents or supporters who must hold the player to the roots at times instead of pushing them to aim for impossible feats. If you have watched Sindhus interview post the match, she clearly stated she never went there to win the medal. Her strategy was to take it match by match. Had she aimed for the Gold straight away, she could have underestimated her opponent and got over confident. She knew where she stood in her sport, she worked to better her skill rather than aiming to win something. She definitely had a dream to win a medal at Olympics but that did not push her to make desperate attempts. Again thanks to Gopichand for guiding her in the right direction. And of course her parents for not being so desperate about winning. In one of her interviews along with her dad, it was clear that her parents kept her rooted and clear of what is important. This never took away from believing and remaining with reality despite working her best.
I am also happy for another reason as I mentioned above that now many will look beyond cricket. Cricket has literally overshadowed all other sports. I grew up in a city where we got to move along with the best players of Badminton and Chess. We knew their achievements closely from time to time, we heard their names very often in school, college and in the neighborhoods. Somehow badminton and Chess were like one of common sports that saw some encouragement in my city. I am sure, it will go to the next level very soon. I so wish we encourage our children even in sports in the right spirits. Its not about the medals, the accolades, the rewards, but encourage them to enjoy the beauty of the sport.

#rioolympics2016  #pvsindhu  #gopichand  #sakshimalik

Cheers

Jyostna