New Delhi: Being a role model at 18 is rare, but India's top woman badminton player Saina Nehwal is just that.
Before Saina burst on the scene, Madhumita Bisht was the best female badminton player India had produced. Madhumita won the national badminton championship a record eight times, but in an era where sport was largely a past time.
"Now a day sports is doing well and you can get a job and you can be a renowned sportsperson and people will know you," says Madhumita.
Now an 18-year-old has already achieved what Madhumita could only dream of. As Saina has gone from strength to strength, a new generation is being inspired to take to the badminton courts.
"I saw her games in Olympics and I thought if she can do it, I can also do it," says a young player Rohan Kapoor.
Another young player Shambhavi Bajaj says, "Everyone now knows something about badminton and there is a future in badminton. It inspires not only us but others also."
Shambhavi and Rohan are competing in a national inter-school badminton tournament in Delhi and most of those taking part will possibly move on to other pursuits but some will persist encouraged by what someone, not much older than them is doing around the world these days.
"She has given inspiration to all the other players," a participant says. Another says, "It is not just winning that matters. It is the good skills, the hard work you put in."
Two others players agree that Saina's exploits on the badminton courts have inspired them.
"Her hard work has inspired me to work hard," says one while other adds, "If she can win, we can also win. We have the desire to win"
Saina may have achieved a personal milestone when reached the women's singles quarter-finals at the Beijing Olympics.
But little would she have known that she was donning a new hat of becoming an inspiration for young badminton players in the country.
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