Bengaluru teen Dhinidhi Desinghu set to make waves as India's Youngest Olympian at Paris 2024
Paris: Dhinidhi Desinghu, a 14-year-old budding Indian swimmer, is set to represent India at the upcoming Olympics in Paris, competing in the women’s 200m freestyle. As the youngest member of the Indian contingent, Dhinidhi’s journey is an inspiring story of overcoming her initial fear of water to participating in various international swimming competitions.
“But I didn’t like the water, I didn’t want to get in. I couldn’t get my feet into the pool, I couldn’t get my head inside. It was a struggle,” Dhinidhi told The Indian Express. Her journey began when her parents learned how to swim before her to help her feel at ease.
Although she got comfortable in the water, Dhinidhi initially had difficulties in handling the pressure, her mother Jesitha shared with the Indian Express. However, things changed for the better at a state-level open meeting in Mangaluru. Dhinidhi expressed fear and reluctance to swim. Jesitha motivated her to at least see the pool, after which Dhinidhi agreed to compete. She bagged gold and overcame issues with anxiety before competitions, Jesitha recalled.
Dhinidhi shed light upon her habit of writing a diary where she notes everything about her workout, the timing she strives to achieve, her optimal practice times, and national records, among others. Dhinidhi adds: “I write all of it down so that in case I want to know what I have to aim for, I know how far I am. For me, setting goals is a little better because if I have something to work towards, it makes me realise why I am doing all this.”
Along with maintaining a diary, she also has a blog where she shares her journey and experiences, hoping it might help someone else to overcome issues that she faced as a child.
Dhinidhi trains at Dolphin Aquatics in Bengaluru, headed by Dronacharya awardee Nihar Ameen, and is coached by Madhu Kumar. The youngster qualified for the women’s 200m freestyle on a universality quota and will compete alongside Indian swimming veteran Srihari Natara. She holds the record of being the youngest female swimmer to win seven gold medals at the National Games. Additionally, she holds a national record in the women’s 200m freestyle and has participated in the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games.
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FIR filed against three individuals, website for spreading false news involving VB, ‘Op Sindoor’
Mangaluru, May 15: An FIR has been registered at the Mangaluru South Police Station against three individuals and a news website for allegedly spreading false and provocative content involving Kannada daily Vartha Bharati and "Operation Sindoor".
The complaint was lodged by B.M. Basheer, News Editor of Vartha Bharati, who sought legal action against those misusing his name, the name of the newspaper, and "Operation Sindoor" to circulate misleading and defamatory content.
According to the complaint, a Facebook post by Nithin Shamanur titled ‘Operation Sindoor: Kannada Journalist’s brother’s wife Finished’ contained false information and featured a photograph of a woman and soldiers. This same post was allegedly shared by two others — Santosh Hegade and Bettampady Chandra — on their Facebook profiles. In addition, the same content was reportedly published by the website newsputtur.com.
Basheer stated that the news being circulated is completely baseless and inflammatory, and accused the individuals involved of attempting to mislead the public. He warned that such content could spark unrest, especially in the already sensitive environment of coastal Karnataka.
“This baseless and provocative misinformation in the name of ‘Operation Sindoor’ is misleading the public and has the potential to incite unrest in society,” said Basheer in his complaint. “Given the already sensitive atmosphere in coastal Karnataka due to recent developments, such rumors are likely to further destabilize the situation.”
He demanded strict legal action against Nithin Shamanur, Santosh Hegade, Bettampady Chandra, and the editor of newsputtur.com, including registration of a criminal case and a thorough investigation into the matter.
Acting on the complaint, the Mangaluru South Police have registered an FIR against all four accused under relevant sections for allegedly spreading false, defamatory, and inflammatory content online. Further investigation is underway.
