Some are born controversial. Some achieve controversy. Some have controversy thrust upon them. The tennis player, Sania Mirza, surely belongs to the third category. Those who have mired her in various irrelevant controversies have only displayed their own immaturity. Her victimization is also a sign that many Indians have no respect for a person who is striving very hard to be successful in a highly competitive international arena. It is quite understandable that she has grown tired and disgusted with the manner in which meaningless controversies have been made to stalk her career. Her decision not to play in India in 2008 cannot be faulted. It could be interpreted as emerging out of a fit of pique, but she should be allowed the freedom to choose to play in an atmosphere in which public controversy and court cases will not impede her career as a tennis player. It is evident that there are people in India who have nothing better to do than plague India’s best woman tennis player for no reason at all.

In 2005, Ms Mirza had a fatwa issued against her for wearing short skirts. She very rightly retorted that what she wore was her own business. It is difficult to comprehend how her attire could adversely affect a second person, let alone an entire community. More recently, someone filed a public interest litigation against her because she was photographed with her feet up near the Indian flag. This was deemed to be an offence because it was unpatriotic. How sitting with one’s feet up near the national flag can be unpatriotic is something that beats common intelligence. Is there one given definition of patriotism to which every Indian has to adhere? Ms Mirza brings enormous prestige to the country by her sporting attainments. Surely this is cause for greater national pride than the actions of men who file hollow PILs and waste the court’s time. Somewhere people have got their priorities all mixed up and warped. The various allegations against Ms Mirza actually reveal an enormous amount about Indians and their attitudes. It is evident that extreme prickliness has become an obsession among certain people. It shows their immaturity. Patriotism and national pride cannot be so fragile as to be insulted by the actions of a sportsperson. Ms Mirza should be left alone to serve and volley. That is the only way she can contribute to the greater glory of India and Indians.