Dipa Karmakar caught the nation’s imagination with her exploits at the Rio Olympics, garnering support from the normal public and celebrities alike. The normal public hailed her as the symbol of woman power in sport and celebrities/sportspersons did not fall behind in praising her for putting India on the world gymnastics map
So much so that Sachin Tendulkar offered her(PV Sindhu and Sakshi Malik) a BMW for her performance at the Olympic games! The media went gaga over the news but Dipa Karmakar shocked the Indian media a couple of days back by tweeting that she didn’t actually want the BMW, because it is very high maintenance, especially in a small state like Tripura. And that she has requested Sachin to provide her with cash instead.
While this act of hers may baffle a few, it has come as a very refreshing piece of news for the entire sporting fraternity. A young woman athlete who understands that gifts, if any, should be something that the sportsperson can use to develop their skill, especially in a country like India, where there is a dearth of training facilities for even top notch athletes.
Dipa has decided to return the BMW to the Hyderbad Badminton Association and she would be using the cash to fund her sporting expenses. She is glad that Sachin Tendulkar has agreed to do this for her and hopes that she can quickly get back to training and avoid all these media hassles!
Dipa has cited a lot of logical reasons for returning the BMW. The nature of the roads in Tripura wouldn’t support a BMW and the fact that there is no service centre in the area further justifies her action.
Dipa is presently preparing for the Challengers Cup which will happen next month and she hopes that she can secure a podium finish there
