by Saran, Renu
The media also added to this financial burden. Her phone kept ringing wherever she went.
Once, Dr. Harvir Singh confessed, “A major part of the prize money that Saina got from big competitions like the Philippines Open and World Junior Championship was utilised in paying her mobile bills, which were between Rs 40,000 and Rs 50,000 in the touring months.”
Saina once admitted that she was too lazy to acquire a local SIM card in a foreign land and would keep calling home to chat with her parents. There would also be calls from the media.
Did the prize money help Saina in the initial stages of her career?
Saina with her father
Dr. Harvir Singh Nehwal
As per a statement made by Dr. Harvir Singh, Saina was given just Rs 300 as prize money after winning the under-10 state level competition. The competition was held in Tirupati in the year1999. He said that the period between 1999 and 2004 was very challenging for the family because they did not get any sponsorship.
Dr. Harvir Singh was not only concerned about the financial burden but also the risk of lagging behind on the educational front. This added to the mental pressure the family had to go through.
Saina had to skip examinations twice. She was unable to take her first year intermediate exams due to the Melbourne Commonwealth Games. Later, she could not write supplementary exams due to her presence in the Philippines.
Saina had achieved huge success much early in her life. Ironically, the family, despite her big success at the international level, has not been able to celebrate much.
Dr. Harvir Singh confessed that Saina had never been to any party, any restaurant or cinema for about 7 consecutive years in her life. Once, the electronic media personnel visited my home.
“I could not even offer them sweets. Do I need to explain why?” said Dr. Harvir Singh.
What’s the key to Saina’s success?
Saina Nehwal with her Family
She had a goal set in her mind and knew she had to achieve it anyhow. It is important to stick to one goal. Choosing two of them is dangerous. It is similar to chasing two rabbits. Both will escape. If you know the goal clearly, success will be yours. People with clear goals are usually successful as they know where they are going.
Saina’s rigorous training schedules were challenging for her parents too!
While Saina Nehwal was fast becoming a known name in India’s junior badminton circuit, the everyday routine of taking her for practice was quite strenuous for her parents. It was a about 25 km ride on the scooter from Rajendra Nagar to the stadium and Saina had to be there very early. This meant the child had to be up at four in the morning.
In March 2000, the family purchased a Maruti 800 car only for Saina. ‘Maruti’ is another name for Hanuman, the Monkey God, who is a symbol of strength and positive energy. Buying this car was synonymous for Saina’s steady success.
Even as Saina was steadily climbing up in the game, Harvir’s bank balance was diminishing. He rates the time between the years 1999 and 2004 as the toughest period of his life.
Dr. singh said, “I drew money from my provident fund some six times, mostly citing my wife’s illness as the reason. Everyone in the office, of course, knew what the real reason was. Sometimes, Rs 50,000, sometimes, Rs 1 lakh. Of course, all of that has thankfully now been put back by me.”
But young Saina had no clue about how everyday was an expensive affair. Dr. Singh made sure there was no discussion about financial matters at home. He didn’t want to surmount the pressure on little girl. He also made sure all of Saina’s needs were taken care of.
“She was too young to understand all this and I did not want to disturb her,” said Dr. Harvir.
Saina also admitted that she had no idea that he was borrowing from his provident fund in order to spend on the tournaments. According to this young champion, she was totally unaware of where exactly the money came from. She didn’t know her father took loans to send her to tournaments. Her mother used to travel with her and the family would spend somewhere between 30,000 and 40,000 INR on a single championship. And Saina used to participate in at least ten of the tournaments in a year.
“My father had never asked me before any tournament if I really want to play it or skip it,” said Saina in one of her candid interviews.
But the struggle finally paid off. Today, Saina is ranked as the top badminton player across the globe. This is a rank many players aspire and yearn for after years of struggle and training. In the year 2010, Saina paid 60 lakhs INR in income-tax. In 2011, the amount raised to 1.5 crores INR! Her chartered accountant was paid 2.5 INR.
Today, that Saina is a top ranked player across the world, Dr Harvir Singh and Mrs. Usha Nehwal are proud of her.
Harvir once proudly said, “Those years were difficult years but today Saina has made sure there is no shortage of money. I wish every parent a daughter like Saina. If she had decided to study further she wouldn’t have earned like this.”
“I am Saina” says her father proudly each time he is interviewed for his daughter’s success.
When asked about the reason behind such a statement, Dr. Singh said, “Saina bought this shirt for me in Hong Kong. This Swiss watch is an 18 carat gold watch by Dubey & Schaldenbrand, worth 8,000 francs. These shoes are by Yonex. From my head to my feet all that I have belongs to Saina. If you ask me, I will say I am Saina.”
Saina with her mother
Mrs. Usha Nehwal
Dr. Singh’s almirah in his office room at the Directorate of Oilseeds Research is loaded with many souvenirs and other items bought by Saina on her different trips abroad. The proud father gets emotional each time he opens the almirah. According to Dr. Singh, the importance of the purchases was not more than their material value. For him, they were the symbols of Saina’s success. Each item represented a rung on the ladder she had climbed.
The almirah comprises of a Longines watch worth 2 lakhs INR, a brand that Aishwarya Rai Bachchan endorses. It also has a Sony Vaio laptop that she bought for 50,000 INR and a lot more. The struggle of parents in the early years has turned into gains.
Dr. Singh admits that badminton is a cheaper sport when compared to say cricket or tennis. However, for a player to excel, the parents should be prepared to keep aside adequate funds to take care of smaller needs.
Dr. Harvir and his wife realized the strong future of Badminton as a sport by 2001. Hence, they invested in expensive shuttlecocks despite their modest means. Usually, these shuttlecocks are used by players only at the tournaments.
“The AS2 or AS3 shuttlecocks used to cost Rs 55 a piece. There were other parents who said why spend so much on shuttlecocks, but then I did not want to leave anything to chance. I used to buy 10 cartons at a time with each carton containing 10 shuttles, which meant shelling out Rs 5,500. At best, the carton would last four weeks” confessed Dr. Singh.
Mrs. Usha Nehwal’s contribution was significant in Saina’s career. According to the world champion, “My mother made me think like a champion since I was eight or nine. She told me, back then itself, that I will be an Olympic medal-winner and the World No. 1. She showed me videos of top players in the world of that time. There is an instance I must mention here. I was playing in an Under-10 tournament in Thane. I was playing with one of the older players and I lost that match. My mother desperately wanted me to win it. I was coming out of the court and she just slapped me and reprimanded me for losing that match. All my colleagues started laughing and I told myself that I will show all these guys who they are laughing at. When I went to the room, I analysed why I lost the game.”
Being a Girl Child
She is one of the most sought after female sporting stars in India but when Saina Nehwal was born in patriarchal community, her own grandmother refused to look at her because of the inherent discrimination against the girl child in the state.
“I was really surprised when I was told that my grandmother did not come to see me till a month after my birth. I was born seven years
after my only sister Chandranshu and my birth was a big disappointment for her,” the ace shuttler, fresh from a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games, wrote in a column for the ‘India Today’ magazine.
“But in it there is a message that I understand very well now about the discrimination against the girl child,” she said.
Saina still counts her blessings for having parents who were liberal enough to allow her pursue sports.
Tarun felicitates Harvir Singh and
Usha Nehwal
during the Shakshsiyat Award
2013, held at Sri Ram Centre,
Mandi House, New Delhi, on
March 07, 2013
Experts in the field of sports strongly feel that families play an important role in a player’s successful career. Families need to make systematic investments in a youngster over years before a champion emerges. More than the player and the coach, parents are worthy of the credit for the success of a sportsperson.
Badminton Fitness
Fitness – The Key to Saina’s Success at Top Level
Badminton is the world’s fastest racket sport, and hence badminton players who wish to excel and compete at the top levels, need to have excellent agility, stamina, strength and fitness. The best badminton players across the world are also known for amazing fitness levels. They all have well-developed strong legs. The overall body structure, strength and fitness are almost identical to what hockey and football (soccer) players have. The basic features include sturdy muscular legs and high endurance.
Badminton players usually focus on fitness exercises. Some of the most common ones they go for include running, sprint running, hopping, jumping, skipping and some weight training exercises. These workout schedules tend to enhance their overall fitness.
Having sturdy legs is very important. It is a crucial part of a player’s physical fitness especially in the field of badminton. The game involves good amount of running, hopping and jumping. The ritual continues for the entire duration of a badminton match that typically lasts for about 60 minutes.
Recently, Saina’s success and her all – new glamorous look was the talk of entire nation. The media was interested in her fashion moves, the brands she endorsed and then prize money she won. These activities were written in bold, golden words. However, not much was actually reported about the kind of unflinching dedication and commitment that she has had towards her rigorous training schedule since childhood. After all, sacrificing candy floss, dolls, birthday parties and playing with other children is not a cakewalk for a child. But Saina never complained and she is where she deserves to be today – at the top! The entire world is singing praise and celebrating the success of this young, immensely skilled badminton player.
Dedication, consistency, rigorous practice and undying passion towards the game have made Saina Nehwal the kind of player that she is.
Aspiring badminton players who wish to reach the levels of Saina Nehwal, Prakash Padukone and the likes should focus on their footwork and skills. This is not all. One also requires being aware of body and its precise requirements. Eating a healthy fitness diet and regular work out at fitness centers such as a gym or a fitness club is a compulsion. It is also crucial to use the right fitness equipment under the guidance of a professional in order to improve fitness levels at consistent rate.
The requirements of a badminton player are different from players associated with other games such as cricket, hockey, etc. They don’t need to carry around a muscular body like that of a boxer or a 100m sprinter. The body should not be too heavy like weight-lifters. Being too light and wiry like the long distance runners is also not recommended. Badminton players need to be perfect.
In short, fitness requirements of badminton players are unique. They should emphasise on having the perfect combination of the following:
• Strength of a sprinter
• Stamina of a long-distance runner
The above listed qualities will help them play power smashes, run fast around the court and last for the entire duration of the match.
An aspiring player should keep these points in mind when choosing a fitness regimen. This is possible only when they work hard under the guidance of a highly skilled and experienced fitness coach. Badminton in itself is considered to be a fabulous way for working out and stay fit and healthy.
Badminton is known to be a fun sport. Children and adults enjoy playing this sport. However, it can be physically demanding too especially when it comes to playing at high levels of competition. The player should always be in great shape and sport an athletic body.
A variety of skills are required to excel in the field of badminton. This is possible with effective training.
Strength Training
Constant serving and volleying in a game of badminton may tire out your arms especially if they’re not used to the motion. Hence, it is beneficial to work with weights. You should focus on training with high repetitions. This is important to enhance muscular endurance. Some of the best exercises include military press and lateral raise. These workouts are very effective for strengthening your shoulders. Most fitness experts and physical trainers to badminton players recommend these exercises to ensure requisite stamina and endurance to play badminton.
Endurance
For players, who are serious about making it big in long matches and tournaments, endurance can go a long way. They should emphasise on building endurance. This will help them last for long matches. The best way to build endurance is to indulge in cardiovascular exercises. Running and biking can help a lot. If it is not possible to go on long rides and runs to build endurance, there are some other ways you can do it. Interval training is one of the most effective ways to build endurance. Most training experts recommend these exercises for badminton players. You can start with 1-to-2 ratio of work to rest and work towards a 1-to-1 ratio. The best example of this is sprinting to jogging.
Agility
When it comes to badminton, it is crucial to change directions very frequently and swiftly. In order to prepare for this, you need to get into some agility training. The four-cone-square drill is a simple setup for agility training. This helps in ensuring agility required for playing badminton. Players can start with the following steps:
One cone
Back pedalling to the cone behind it
Side stepping to the next cone
Sprinting forward to the next
Side-stepping back to the first cone
Varying the drill is important. It is helpful to vary it with different directions and cone formations. Regardless the drill, fitness experts recommend that each movement should last between 5 and 10 seconds.
Hand-Eye Coordination
Hands and eyes play an important role when playing badminton. Hence, it is crucial to improve hand-eye coordination. This can make a huge difference in a player’s performance. The best way to do this is by playing tennis or table tennis. The game requires player keep a close watch at the ball and using hands skilfully. Another technique a player can follow to increase hand-eye coordination is via throwing a ball off of a wall and catching it with one hand. Having a friend throw a birdie at you as you try to return it is also a fabulous technique. Badminton trainers and bodybuilders recommend another effective way to develop hand-eye coordination. This includes using a boxing speed bag to enhance coordination and power.
Fitness Routine
Maintaining a fitness routine can make a huge difference. A player should focus on having a fixed and dedicated fitness schedule. Saina is very serious about her weekly routine. It includes the following:
Saina Nehwal’s Endurance Training
• Strength training sessions: 2-4
• Endurance sessions: 3-6
• Agility sessions: 6-8
• Moderate running
The above listed techniques make for an integral part of Saina Nehwal’s endurance training.
Saina Nehwal’s Strength Training
• Dumbbell pullovers
• Rowing exercises
• Military press for shoulders
• Heel raises for calf muscles
• Lat pull downs
Saina Nehwal’s Agility Training
Saina Nehwal follows a dedicated agility training schedule. It is a customised routine that includes speedy bursts of the following:
• Running
• Lunges
• Ab crunches
Stepping into the Glamour World
– The Ace Badminton Player’s
Glamorous Side
Sports in India have come a long way. Be it cricket, badminton or tennis, the players can’t just stay away from glamour. Of late, a lot of cricket players in India were seen endorsing brands, giving guest appearance in Bollywood movies, and walking on the ramp sporting designer labels.
The trend was carried forward by tennis player Sania Mirza who created raves with her typical ‘nose ring’ appearance. College girls and teenagers aped this look and more than her performance, the ‘nose ring’ became the talk of nation.
The gorgeous Saina Nehwal couldn’t resist the glamour world for long. Although, dedicated to badminton, the glamour world just pulled her in.
“Performance counts but glamour is as important. People watch a sport also because they like a particular player. Especially in India, if a sportsperson looks good, he or she easily gets a lot of ads and media coverage,” said the ace shuttler in an interview.
Saina also mentioned that many sports stars don’t get recognized because they don’t look good. According to her, this is not good on the part of players who donate their sweat and blood to add to the country’s reputation.
“That is sad and should change. I don’t take care of myself, but I thank God that I’m blessed with good looks,” she stated.
Saina Nehwal at Hyderabad
Fashion Week
Pretty Saina Nehwal walked in style for renowned fashion designers on ramp. Her resplendent face reflected pure happiness and excitement as she graced the event with her looks.
