Tags:
Journalism of Courage
CHENNAI, NOV 16: THE world loves a winner goes the saying. So too imagined Roopa Unnikrishnan, when she got a gold in the standard rifle shooting at the recent Commonwealth Games at Kuala Lumpur. But some of her bitter experiences seems to have convinced her that the world only loves a loser at least in India.
Roopa’s career zoomed off to a start when she was just 12 and since then there had been no stopping her, both at the National and International level.Roopa was felicitated by the Rotary Club of Madras Chenna Patna on Thursday. While appreciating the gesture, Roopa felt defeated that the local body did not deem it fit to recognise the effort. And something that really hurts her is the fact that no one from the State association was present to greet her when she landed at the Anna International Airport at 7 a.m. with her prized possession. The excuse offered was that “it was an unearthly hour,” she said in a hard hitting interview to the Indian Express.
Small things maybe, but Roopa wonderedhow the same people who make so much noise about winning a gold medal in an international meet, fail to acknowledge the feat of the individuals who make it a reality.
Roopa was also disturbed at the lack of media response when she won a silver at the World Rifle Shooting Grand Prix at Atlanta recently. “The leading lights of the world were in the fray which made it all the more satisfying for me but here it was dismissed as one of those things .”
Roopa sounded optimistic that the day is not far off when an Indian strikes a gold at the Olympics. She felt the compelling need of a coach to get to the mark of 597 which she is aiming at to match the top notchers. “I am able to do 594 now but with a coach around to monitor my progress, things could be different.”
Roopa has countless medals in her cupboard. What matters is the Olympic gold for which she will not mind swapping her hand. She is geared to give it her best shot. All she looks forward to is a little encouragement. Meanwhile, her immediatetarget is a medal at the forthcoming Bangkok Asian Games. “That should set the tone” was Roopa’s parting shot.
