ANOUSHKA PARIKH

She is a badminton player, representing India since 2011. After having tried her hands at tennis, swimming and skating, she started playing Badminton at the age of 6 years when her mother, having identified her knack for sports, took her to one of the prestigious clubs in Ahmedabad. What started as a hobby soon turned into her passion as she fell in love with the sport. She wouldn’t miss practice for a single day and even gave parties a miss. Anoushka has won about 100 medals at state tournaments, around 50 medals at national tournaments and about 10 international medals. She is the first player from Gujarat to have won an international medal in Badminton and believes that she still has long way to go and many more laurels to win for the country. Greatness needs mental toughness, perseverance, motivation and dedicated passion and Anoushka is right on the track to be amongst the top players in Badminton

What is your favourite word?
"Wild" comes to my mind. I resonate with it. When I look back to when I was a kid, growing up I have always been someone who followed her heart, was free spirited and just wild in that sense.

What was the moment in your life that made you Blossom into the person you are today?
After having played the sport for 18 years, and having competed at various levels, I would say who I am is a result of a long journey. Everyday has been about learning, growing, and being better than the previous day - in all aspects. And so, it is nearly impossible to mention a particular point of time when I “blossomed” but I give credit to the environment that nurtured me. My coach always gave more importance to the kind of person I was over my achievements and my family always taught me that values, ethics, and culture matter the most. I learned to always keep a check on my character over my medals. I believe travel has been my greatest teacher and has groomed me to a great extent. Meeting people from all walks of life constantly inspired me & learning about various cultures broadened my perspective while keeping me grounded. However, it was when I first represented India in 2011 and won a medal at my maiden international tournament, that I came back home and was looked up to by a number of young aspiring players. That is when I understood that with my medals come a sense of responsibility. When young children started to look up to me, I realized who I am as a person is far more important and of value. In a nutshell, the day I picked up the racquet, was when I began to blossom.

What would you want the young boys & girls to learn from your journey?
I have learned that it's all about the process and not always about the outcome. Yes, you are training everyday for something but you cannot control the outcome you want to achieve. You can only control the process. You have to give it your all but also enjoy the journey. The moment you stop enjoying the journey, reaching the goal will not be as satisfying as you would have thought of it to be. I am delighted to see so many children taking up sports, and their parents supporting them. However, they must be realistic, and know that medals are not won overnight - it takes a lot of patience, sacrifice, resilience, perseverance, and whatnot. Dream big, but work for it. Work hard, but smart. And when you feel like giving up, look back at why you started.