HYDERABAD: Stayfree, one of India’s leading menstrual hygiene brands hosted an exciting meet and greet with its brand ambassador, PV Sindhu, an internationally acclaimed badminton champion and her fans at an event held at Reliance Retail store in Hyderabad.
Sindhu is considered one of India’s most successful sportspersons, she has won medals at various tournaments such as the Olympics and on the BWF circuit, including a gold at the 2019 World Championships. She is the first and only Indian to become the badminton world champion and only the second individual athlete from India to win two consecutive medals at the Olympic Games. She rose to a career-high world ranking of number 2 in April 2017. As a part of the Stayfree #DreamsUninterrupted Campaign, role model for millions of young girls, PV Sindhu engaged in a candid conversation with CE.
Tell us about your association with the brand?
Very delighted to be associated with this campaign Stayfree #DreamsUninterrupted. I think it’s something where you know you shouldn’t pull back and shouldn’t stop your dreams from achieving them. At the same time, I think menstruation is also something very important to know about. Get educated and think about it and you can’t be scared about anything. That’s the most important thing. Talking about menstruation is normal.
What are your #DreamsUninterrupted?
There are a lot of dreams. And of course, one would only achieve greater heights and become successful in life. But I think to achieve that everybody needs to work hard and be smarter. It’s very important to stay happy, be confident and be unstoppable. Things like menstruation shouldn’t stop you from doing anything.
What made you fall in love with badminton?
I think it was my own interest. I started playing this sport and my parents supported me. I’m very thankful and happy that they encouraged me and supported me in whatever I wanted to do. And of course, from that point in time, I’ve never looked back and have just been aiming higher, achieving my dreams and being successful in what I do. I feel this is only the beginning and a way to go on.
How’s the journey been for you?
Definitely a roller coaster. Since 2016, my life has changed a lot. Five years down the line it was completely different and now if you talk about it, it’s completely different - so definitely a good roller coaster, but I’ve learned and experienced a lot, even from my mistakes.
How do you come back after a really bad day at work or personal level?
Life is all about ups and downs. Sometimes you might be really good, sometimes it might not be your day. And of course, every day is not your day. You can’t play everything right. So it’s important to understand that it is OK to do this and we need to understand that you know there are a lot more chances in life and when you do this, it’s not just the end of the world. You will learn from your mistakes. And it is also important to bounce back stronger, come back stronger, and learn from your mistakes. And I’ve learned from my mistakes and I’ve come back stronger because every day is a learning process. And how much ever you achieve, how much ever you have been successful, I think every day is a new day, every day you keep learning.
If you have to share any particular memorable match, what would that be?
Well there are a lot of matches. I think my first match was when I won my under 10, after that I think the most memorable one would be my first medal and World Championships in 2013 and of course, the Olympics where my life changed a lot and of course 2019 World Championships where I got the gold for the country and 2021 Tokyo.
Any tips for your followers?
It’s very important to understand that it is a process where you need to keep working hard. It’s not just one day or two days, a couple of months of hard work. I know people might think that we started playing badminton. Why are we not winning? It’s important to know that it is a journey. It is a journey that takes a lot of years to come to a level and you have to keep working hard for it. Being successful is something where it doesn’t come very easy, it will take a lot of time to be successful in life.