Sania Mirza

Written for JFW magazine

Excerpts from the article that was in print—

She’s won several remarkable titles making Indians proud, titles that gave us recognition in the realm of international sports. She is one of the few, blessed young talents in the country to win the prestigious Padma Shri Award. Ace tennis player Sania Mirza has conquered several challenges that have gone down in the history of Indian sports and she is flourishing day after day, playing the best matches of her life dauntlessly.

Head Held High

Getting showered with numerous awards is a privilege but there’s no denying that there are always a few awards that matter a little more. “All the awards are something, definitely. But the two most important things that happened to me were the Padma Shri and the Arjuna awards. It brought in a lot of satisfaction. I’m saying this because my parents and I put in a lot of effort and hard work and getting recognized and appreciated for it by the entire country with the president doing the honoring is quite a feeling!” With the National Anthem playing in the background, climbing up the podium every time to receive an award, is one of the proudest moments according to her.

As much as it might seem exciting to garner attention from the public, it has
its own cons. Sania has been in several controversies so to speak. But with fame comes praises and pitfalls says Sania. “To begin with, I think we all dream as young kids to become famous. When people say they don’t want to be famous, I’m sure they’re lying because everybody wants to be famous at some point. But fame comes with a price; you have no privacy!

I grew up in the limelight, I mean, I was famous when I was 15. Trust me, it’s not the easiest of times; as a teenager there are problems of pimples and chubbiness to deal with as it is but I realized that you can’t have everything in life. At the end of the day, I love the attention; it’s nice to know that people recognise me. The point is, fame comes with both positives and negatives.”