New Delhi, April 17: On the back of her gruelling final match at the 21st Commonwealth Games (CWG), ace shuttler P.V. Sindhu says no loss is ever enough to stop her from believing in herself, and she is once again ready to roar.
Sindhu, who led the Indian contingent at the glittering opening ceremony which launched the CWG in Gold Coast, Australia, was defeated by Indian star shuttler Saina Nehwal in the much-anticipated women's singles summit clash. Nehwal won the gold medal while Sindhu bagged the silver.
Now that Sindhu, brand ambassador of sports drink brand Gatorade, is back in the country, she has penned an open letter on her never-say-die attitude.
"One more down but many more to go! As much as I had given my all to this game, I am once again ready to roar for my next fight, to finish and win. This is my journey, the journey of a sportsperson, every feat accomplished is followed by zeroing on the next target.
"No loss is ever enough, neither one nor many to stop me from believing in myself. Every time I miss a return, every time my shot fails to clear the net and every time I hit it long -- I remind myself, it is not done until I am done," Sindhu wrote.
Sindhu, who had earlier made India proud at the Rio Olympics, where she thrashed Japan's Nozomi Okuhara in the women's singles badminton semi-final, becoming the first Indian woman to win a silver medal at the quadrennial event, said it was a proud feeling to stand on the CWG podium and receive a medal for the country.
"Standing at the podium, head bowed to receive my Silver Commonwealth medal at the women's singles event, the heart swells with pride, moments of struggle, strife and sweat flash before my eyes. For me victory only begins to sink when the first beat of national anthem falls on my ears and then it gets louder, so do the cheers from the crowd, that is when I finally breathe out -- mission accomplished.
"Marching down the tracks as the flagbearer of the Indian contingent at the Commonwealth Games this year, I felt rest upon my shoulders the hope and faith of a million. With every step that I took, I knew it was time to bring together my skill, stamina and most of all my spirit, the spirit to rise higher after every fall, come back harder after every drop.
"From the moment of get, set and go until my last smash, I sweat from every pore, using every iota of strength left in me because giving up is not an option," she wrote.
Sindhu believes one should "let nothing stand in the way of your dreams, let nothing pull you down, let nothing beat you".
"Winning becomes a habit when sweating for it becomes an attitude! So, to all my countrymen and women, fans, well-wishers and badminton lovers who now tune out after having savoured a nail-biting finish, know that I am not done. My journey with Gatorade to Sweat More, Sweat for Gold continues unabashed," she posted.
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LoP Ashoka targets CM govt over corruption, says being 'shameless' in public life not forgivable
Bengaluru (PTI): Targeting Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and the Congress government in Karnataka on corruption, BJP leader R Ashoka on Friday said, being foolish was forgivable, but being "shameless" in public life was not.
The Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly claimed that in just 30 months of its tenure, the Congress administration has broken every previous record on corruption-related controversies.
He was responding to Siddaramaiah's post on 'X' on Thursday hitting back at the BJP, stating that Upa Lokayukta Justice Veerappa's claims of "63 per cent corruption" were based on his report in November 2019, when BJP's B S Yediyurappa was the CM.
"But Ashoka, without understanding the Upa Lokayukta's statement properly, has ended up tying the BJP's own bells of sins onto our heads and has effectively shot himself in the foot," the CM had said, as he accused Ashoka of foolishness for trying to twist Veerappa's statement to target the current government.
Responding, Ashoka said, "it is one thing to be called foolish in politics, that can be forgiven."
"But in public life, especially in the Chief Minister's chair, one must never become shameless," Ashoka posted on 'X' on Friday addressing Siddaramaiah.
Noting that the CM himself had admitted on the floor of the Assembly that a Rs 87 crore scam took place in the Valmiki Development Corporation, he said that when a CM acknowledges such a massive irregularity inside the floor of the House, the natural expectation is immediate action and accountability.
"But instead of taking responsibility, you continue in office as if nothing has happened. What should the people of Karnataka call this, if not sheer shamelessness," he asked.
Pointing out that the CM's Economic Advisor and senior Congress MLA Basavaraja Rayareddy had publicly stated that under Congress rule, Karnataka has become No.1 in corruption, Ashoka said, "Yet, you still cling to the Chief Minister's chair without a moment of introspection. What should the people of Karnataka call this, if not sheer shamelessness."
Senior Congress MLA C R Patil had exposed the "money for House" racket in the Housing Department and even warned that the government would collapse if the details he has were made public, Ashoka said.
"Despite such serious allegations from within your own party (Congress), you neither initiated an inquiry nor acted against the concerned minister. What should the people of Karnataka call this, if not sheer shamelessness," Ashoka asked the CM.
Highlighting the "40 percent commission" allegation Congress made against the previous BJP government, the opposition leader said, the commission that the Siddaramaiah government appointed concluded that the accusation was baseless.
"After your own panel demolished your own claim, what moral right do you have to continue repeating that allegation. What should the people of Karnataka call this, if not sheer shamelessness," he asked.
For the last two and a half years, Karnataka has been 'drowning' in corruption, scandals, irregularities and allegations across departments. Ashoka said, "If I begin listing every case that emerged under your government, even 24 hours would not be enough."
"And the most tragic aspect of your administration is this: the unbearable pressure, corruption demands and administrative harassment under your government pushed several officers and contractors into extreme distress - including the suicide of Chandrasekharan which exposed the Valmiki Development Corporation scam - a sign of how deeply broken the system has become under your watch," he said.
Instead of fixing this hopeless environment, the government has tried to bury every complaint and silence every voice, he charged.
"Being foolish is forgivable, but being shameless in public life is definitely not."
"When your own ministers admit scams, when your own advisors certify Karnataka as No.1 in corruption, and when your own MLAs expose rackets inside your departments - clinging to power without accountability is not leadership. It is shamelessness in its purest form." PTI KSU
Earlier on Thursday Ashoka had demanded that the corruption case and allegations in the state against the Congress government be handed over to a CBI investigation, citing a reported statement by Upalokaykta Justice Veerappa alleging "63 per cent corruption", following which Siddaramaiah hit back at the BJP leader.
