She is the star of the moment, the badminton sensation that made India proud by winning a silver medal in the recent World Badminton Championship. Shining brightly in the sports firmament, a protégé of P. Gopichand, P.V. Sindhu has emerged as the champion to cheer for, bringing laurels to our nation.

Awards, accolades, and rewards have poured in for this victor; and life has certainly changed after Rio for her. Sindhu’s meteoric rise may be the stuff of fables but for this 21- year old it has been through sheer hard work, struggle and sacrifice by herself and her parents. In a free-wheeling conversation, the winner outlines it all during a photo shoot for the cover story.

Sindhu is attached to her parents and elder sister. “My sister is doing her post graduation in gynecology in Nellore (Andhra Pradesh). We are very close. I miss her. We speak over the phone.

When she comes here (Hyderabad) we spend time together.”

Sindhu is passionate about badminton. This is what drives her to give her best in the sport. “I will live my passion. For some years I will be playing only badminton. I will work hard. It is not over with just one medal but in the future, I would want to get more laurels for the country.”

One is reminded of Robert Frost’s … “The woods are dark and deep and I have miles to go before I sleep…”