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Keeping Saina Nehwal’s Secret

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Keeping Saina Nehwal’s Secret

By Dilip Bobb

Here’s my #metoo moment. No, nothing to do with rape or sexual exploitation but a secret affair that I was asked to keep under wraps.

The affair, love affair I must emphasise, was the one between two of India’s top badminton players Saina Nehwal  and Parupalli Kashyap.  This was some four years ago when I was with the Indian Express group and one of my responsibilities was looking after the then Sunday magazine, Eye.

Saina was then riding high, having just become World Number One, and we planned to put her on the cover. She was then training in Bangalore, so we sent our photographer and a reporter to the training venue since we wanted some action shots rather than a glam celebrity photo shoot.

The Express team arrived at the venue to find her and her practice partner, Kashyap, sitting in a corner. The reporter sensed that there was more between them than practicing partners, and asked them to pose together across the net. They did so without creating a fuss, assuming that the story was on Saina and that Kashyap would not figure in the final selection of photos for the cover.

When the team returned, we were looking for the ideal cover shot and the one with the two of them was easily the best of the lot.

We were going ahead with the final selection when there was a call from Saina’s father. He seemed quite agitated, demanding to know what photos we were using and insisting that none of the ones featuring his daughter and Kashyap together should appear. He gave no explanation but it was obvious to us that there was something going on between the two players but her parents wanted it kept under wraps.

Now that the duo have announced they will graduate from practicing partners to actual partners in marriage — the date is set for December 16 — it has now been revealed that the two were in a relationship for almost a decade, managing to keep it hushed up before going public last fortnight. All thanks to her protective father.

However, the photograph that was abandoned – the two of them together – is now a collector’s item in the Express photo archives.

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Chirag Shetty-Satwiksairaj Rankireddy create history, become first Indian pair to win Swiss Open badminton

Shetty and Rankireddy won against the World No. 21 21-19, 24-22 in 54 minutes to get off the mark in the new season.

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Chirag Shetty-Satwiksairaj Rankireddy

Badminton lovers it’s time to celebrate! Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy on Sunday won their first title of 2023 at the Swiss Open 2023 happening in Basel.

By beating Ren Xiang Yu and Tang Qiang of China in the finals, the duo created history and became the first Indian pair ever to win at the Swiss Open badminton. Shetty and Rankireddy won against the World No. 21 21-19, 24-22 in 54 minutes to get off the mark in the new season.

The title is Shetty and Rankireddy’s first one on the tour since their French Open Super 750 triumph on October 2022. The pair had earlier won 3 titles in 2022 including the gold medal at the Commonwealth Games and also finished with a bronze medal at the World Championships.

In another huge victory for India, Boxers Nitu Ghanghas and Saweety Boora scripted history by becoming the sixth and seventh Indian boxers to win the Women’s World Boxing Championship.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the duo for their remarkable victory.

Ghanghas won against Mongolia’s Lutsaikhan Altansetseg in the 48 kg final and registered a dominating 5-0 win in the 81 kg category. Boora won the gold medal via a split verdict and registered a 4-3 win against China’s Wang Lina.

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Nitu Ghanghas and Saweety Boora become only 6th, 7th Indian boxers to win Women’s World Boxing Championship, PM Modi congratulates

Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Ghanghas and Boora for bagging gold medals in the championship.

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Nitu Ghanghas

Boxer Nitu Ghanghas scripted history and became the only sixth Indian boxer to win the Women’s World Boxing Championship. The 22-year-old bagged the gold medal in the ongoing Boxing Championships in New Delhi.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Ghanghas and celebrated her win. In a tweet, Modi wrote that India is elated by her remarkable feat.

Have a look at the tweet here:

Nitu Ghanghas won against Mongolia’s Lutsaikhan Altansetseg in the 48 kg final and registered a dominating 5-0 win in the 81 kg category. She won the title for the minimum weight category in the presence of Beijing Olympics bronze medallist Vijender Singh.

As per the viral videos, Nitu showed great aggression at the beginning of the match and skillfully moved forward with her series of punches to secure the win.

Despite the opposition’s continuous efforts, Nitu maintained her dominance in the ring and in the second round she secured a 3-2 victory.

The third round was challenging for her, however, she defended herself against the opponent and won the ultimate title. The win made her the sixth Indian boxer to win a World Boxing Champions title after Mary Kom, Laishram Sarita Devi, Jenny RL, Lekha KC, and Nikhat Zareen.

Union Minister of Information and Broadcast and Youth Affairs and Sports Anurag Thakur also congratulated Nity for her win and called it a huge victory.

Apart from Neetu Ghanghas, Saweety Boora also won the tournament and became the seventh Indian boxer to win world championship gold. Boora won the gold medal via a split verdict and registered a 4-3 win against China’s Wang Lina.

PM Modi also congratulated her for her exceptional performance.

The women’s World Boxing Championships is currently taking place at KD Jhadav Indoor Hall in New Delhi. People can also stream the competition live on DD Sports and streamed on its YouTube channel as well as Sony Liv from 6 pm onwards.

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Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma launch a non-profit initiative SeVVA for social good, humanity

In a joint statement, the Indian cricketer and Bollywood actor said that it is a non-profit initiative and is meant to help people in need.

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Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma

Celebrity couple Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma announced on March 22 that they are merging their respective foundations- The Virat Kohli Foundation and The Anushka Sharma Foundation, and launching a new initiative called SeVVA.

In a joint statement, the Indian cricketer and Bollywood actor said that it is a non-profit initiative and is meant to help people in need. SeVVA will not be confined to any particular cause. The couple said the organisation will continue to strive for social good by championing humanity which is the need of the hour today.

They said, in the words of Kahlil Gibran, ‘For in truth, it is a life that gives unto life- while you, who deem yourself a giver, are but a witness’ and with this sentiment in mind, they have decided to work together aiming to reach out to as many people as possible, through SeVVA.

Read Also: Malayalam actor Arya Parvathi’s mother delivers baby girl at 47

The cricketer will continue to provide scholarships in the field of sports and also sponsor aspiring athletes. Anushka will also continue to work for animal welfare as she has been doing for many years. SeVVA will be working to locate and assist in areas of concern that benefit society as a whole.

The couple got married in December 2017 in Tuscany and is known as one of the strongest and most loved couples in the industry. They are one of the most influential couples as well, featuring together in many ads. The duo is known for their heart-warming love for each other and for living a very fulfilling yet simple life.

Kohli and Sharma welcomed their daughter Vamika in 2021 and the actor has been on a break from acting since then. She will be seen in the sports drama based on Indian pace bowler Jhulan Goswami, titled Chakda Xpress.

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Call Me Bae: Ananya Panday set to make her OTT debut with new fashion series, channels Meryl Streep

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