Her tall frame, often clad in its trademark yellow outfit, holds the attention of spectators as she battles it out in national and international tourneys, her play often interspersed by expressive cries and pumping of fists. The quiet and shy PV Sindhu has, over the years, successfully morphed into an aggressive sportsperson who leaves nothing to chance. Shraddha Jahagirdar-Saxena air-dashes to Hyderabad to spend time with the badminton superstar, who, after Rio, has become the darling of the nation
Scene One: the atmosphere is electric in the capital’s Siri Fort Sports Complex — as on a Friday evening in March, two Indian badminton superstars are battling it out in a much-watched quarter-final. Rhythmic chants, favouring both alternately, resound through its inner spaces. The match culminates in humungous applause when Pusarla Venkata Sindhu, the 2016 Olympic silver medallist, walks away with a win — leaving her opponent, Saina Nehwal, the 2012 Olympic bronze medallist, vanquished. The fact that it is the 21-year-old’s moment in the sun is further reinforced when the tall shuttler wins the India Open Super series tournament two days later, defeating her Rio nemesis, Carolina Marin, in the finals. Having seen her play live for the first time – and having witnessed her quieter side a short while earlier in her hometown — I am left with startling images of her metamorphosis into a focused, aggressive player — a quicksilver change that in the last 12 months has got her not just a coveted Olympic medal, but her maiden India Open Super series title — the Yonex Sunrise India Open 2017 — as well as the Malaysia Masters Grand Prix Gold women’s singles title.
Denne historien er fra June 2017-utgaven av Verve.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra June 2017-utgaven av Verve.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Making Amends
This generation’s penchant for thoughtless consumption gets Madhu Jain roiled up, and she wonders if nature is getting its own back for our missteps…
Diamonds With Provenance
In keeping with the company’s commitment to environmental and social responsibility, Anisa Kamadoli Costa, chief sustainability officer at Tiffany & Co. and chairman and president at The Tiffany & Co. Foundation, enlightens Shirin Mehta on the efforts that make the jewellery giant an industry leader in transparency
SARTORIAL ECONOMICS
Sisters Tashi and Tara Mitra demonstrate to Akanksha Pandey how deviating from the mainstream can bend the way we think, live and dress
NOTES TO SELF
An anthropomorphized tiger’s perspective, a viscerally worded futuristic interpretation of loss, a critique of performative activism, a meta reflection on the earth’s crises. Told through different lenses, Janaki Lenin, Indrapramit Das, Keshava Guha and Roshan Ali’s stories — written exclusively for Verve — attempt to make sense of the fraught reality that we exist in today
The Eternal Optimist
As Generation X and xennials grapple with fully transitioning to conscious living, young millennials and Generation Z are leading the charge to reverse human-caused environmental damage. Sahar Mansoor, founder and CEO of the Bengaluru-based zero-waste social enterprise Bare Necessities, has a simple overarching philosophy: consume less and stay positive. Verve gets deeper into the mindset of the action-oriented earth advocate
Redemption SONGS
Indian music festivals have been demonstrating a refreshing sense of responsibility in terms of their ecological impact. Interacting with stakeholders who strive to make these large-scale events greener, Akhil Sood investigates the reasons behind the improved attitudes of audiences and the increase in corporate support.
earth hour
Crafted using nature’s elements, these dials draw inspiration from the many heterogeneous materials and hues around us.Verve turns its lens onto a mesmerising few
THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT
Children are holding adults accountable for both the grim future they are facing and the toll this is taking on their mental health. Madhumita Bhattacharyya initiates conversations with families of young climate activists and observes the extent to which parenting has changed in the face of catastrophe
NATURAL JUSTICE
Most of us are only just waking up to the urgency of climatic action. When the stakes are so high, what can individual action solve? Mridula Mary Paul, an environmental policy expert, is proof of the tenacity needed to effect systemic change. It’s not glamorous, and the rewards are few and far between, but that doesn’t stop her from aiming big, finds Anandita Bhalerao
Along For The Ride
Navigating Indian streets as a woman is hard enough. But what is it like while riding a bicycle? Bengaluru-based Shreya Dasgupta, a regular cyclist, speaks to five urban women about the pros and cons of this increasingly popular means of transport.
