Social media can't make or break your day: Sania Mirza's advice on handling trolls
Bengaluru (PTI): "Social media cannot make or break your day," said six-time Grand Slam Champion Sania Mirza while speaking with Indian cricketer Richa Ghosh during a fireside chat at the Future Makers Conclave (FMC) in Bengaluru Tech Summit 2025.
Moderated by sports journalist Mayanti Langer, Mirza shared her hard-earned wisdom.
"There are a couple of ways to handle it. She (Richa Ghosh) is still young, and my advice to her is just be as somebody who has faced and grown up in an era where electronic media and social media were coming."
"When I was coming up, we were about just newspapers, and Sportstar was the only kind of window to sports. But then electronic media started coming, the tabloids started coming in. It started getting boring to talk just about forehands and backhands, and then they wanted to start talking about, you know, other things of an athlete's life just to make things interesting, and then comes the criticism that you lost a match because you were out for dinner somewhere," she added.
Recalling the absurd comments that she used to face back then, Mirza said, "It made me very thick-skinned. So, I actually find it quite humorous. I actually find it quite funny that people who have never held a cricket bat or a tennis racket or a boxing glove in their hand can have such a big opinion about what you do professionally."
"And I feel really sad for them sometimes, because I'm like, you must really be unhappy with your life to hate someone you've never met who's trying to represent the country at the highest level," she added.
Pitying the comments that criticises her online, she said, "You don't take the good to heart, and you don't take the bad to heart. Because social media or media cannot make or break your day. It cannot be that important. What can make or break your day is what the people you love feel about you, who you love feels about you, what communication you have with them."
Ghosh, a young cricketer of the Indian women's cricket team who grew up in the social media era, had different perspective when asked about the way she handles social media criticism.
Gosh said she sees criticism as an indicator of growth in women's cricket.
"To be honest, I take it very positively, because earlier in women's cricket we didn't have that many followers or fans. But now, as the numbers grow, the criticism will also grow. So I try to take that part positively," she said.
Ghosh said the bigger we get the criticism, the more people come to watch the game.
"I take that as a positive sign, because it means more people are watching, they're liking what women's cricket is doing, and they see the value in it. And in cricket today, the bigger it gets, the more people come to watch."
The three day 28th edition of the Bengaluru Tech Summit, themed "Futurise," was organised by the Department of Electronics, IT & Bt, Government of Karnataka, concluded on Thursday at the Bangalore International Exhibition Centre (BIEC).
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India, Vietnam elevate ties to enhanced comprehensive strategic partnership; set USD 25 bn
New Delhi (PTI): India and Vietnam on Wednesday elevated their ties to an enhanced comprehensive strategic partnership and set a USD 25 billion annual trade target by 2030 as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Vietnamese President To Lam held talks focusing on expanding bilateral ties in areas of trade, defence, and critical minerals in the face of increasing geopolitical upheavals.
Following the Modi-Lam meeting, the two sides signed as many as 13 agreements which will provide for deeper two ways engagements in a range of areas including digital payments, rare earth minerals, pharmaceuticals, education, banking and culture.
Modi and Lam also deliberated on the situation in the Indo-Pacific amid China's increasing assertiveness in the region, and agreed to continue to contribute to the rule-of-law, peace, stability, and prosperity.
It is understood that China's growing military muscle-flexing in the South China Sea also figured in the delegation-level talks between the two sides.
Elected as president earlier this month, Lam began his first state visit to India on Tuesday, leading a high-level delegation for a three-day trip.
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"A decade ago, Vietnam became India's first comprehensive strategic partner in ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) . Since then, our relations have made rapid and comprehensive progress," Modi said in his media statement.
"Building on this strong foundation, today we are elevating our relations to the level of Enhanced Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. We will now advance our partnership to even higher goals," he said.
"Our cooperation will reach new levels in every area ' culture, connectivity, and capacity building, as well as security, sustainability, and supply chain resilience," Modi added.
He noted that the bilateral trade between India and Vietnam has doubled in the last decade to reach USD 16 billion and that the target now is to increase it to USD 25 billion by 2030.
Modi also cited a plethora of agreements signed between the two countries to emphasis that the economic engagement is expected to witness a significant upswing going forward.
"The MoU between our drug authorities will now increase access to Indian medicines in Vietnam. Exports of Indian agricultural, fisheries, and animal products to Vietnam are also set to become easier. Very soon, Vietnam will taste India's grapes and pomegranates," he said.
The two sides also agreed to update the India-ASEAN trade agreement by the end of this year.
"This will provide a new impetus to trade and investment between India and all ASEAN countries. New initiatives in critical minerals, rare earths, and energy cooperation will ensure the economic security and supply chain resilience of both countries," Modi said.
"To boost financial connectivity, we have today decided to enhance cooperation between our central banks. India's UPI and Vietnam's fast payment systems will soon be linked. Furthermore, we are strengthening state-to-state and city-to-city cooperation between the two countries," he noted.
Modi said India is grateful to Vietnam for its strong condemnation of the Pahalgam terrorist attack and standing with India in its fight against terrorism.
"In this era of global turmoil and economic challenges, thanks to their talent, good governance, and economic reforms, India and Vietnam are emerging as the world's fastest-growing economies," he said.
"Now, through our enhanced strategic partnership, we will support each other's rapid growth. As the Buddha's teachings say, 'If you light a lamp for someone else, it also illuminates your own path'," Modi said.
He also described Vietnam a a key pillar of India's Act East Policy and Vision Ocean.
"In the Indo-Pacific region as well, we share a common outlook. Through our strengthening defence and security cooperation, we will continue to contribute to the rule-of-law, peace, stability, and prosperity," he said.
The prime minister said India will broaden its relations with ASEAN with Vietnam's cooperation.
In his remarks, Lam said both sides agreed to deepen political trust and elevate security cooperation.
Last year, the two sides inked a pact to set up a framework for submarine search, rescue and support mechanism. They also signed a letter of intent (LoI) to strengthen bilateral defence industry collaboration.
