SHRUTI KURIEN KANETKAR-THE EPITOME OF WILLPOWER & PERSERVERANCE--ODE: February issue 2009

With her feet firm on the ground, a smile that makes anyone comfortable and an attitude that rips the court apart, Shruti Kurien Kanetkar talks about life, her family and her profession.

I have often heard that when people reach the top, humility is one of the things that they identify themselves with very strongly. The other day I experienced the same, not with myself but with Shruti. While I got comfortable sipping the coffee that Mr. Kurien had made me, it was quite a treat talking to Shruti about her life so far. Why badminton was the first thing I had asked her. She ponders over the question for a while and then says, "I have been playing badminton since the age of nine, and it’s been so long that it’s difficult to imagine life without it. The question why badminton seems totally irrelevant because it has become a part of life now."

It is not very often that people go for what they believe in and definitely not very often that you get to meet people who stick to their beliefs until they identify themselves with it completely. Shruti is one amongst these very few. She has loved her journey so far and says very confidently, "Absolutely no regrets", when I asked her if there was anything she would want to change in the past.

To her, little things matter in life. She says “When you see someone your age performing so well, its drives you to think that why can it not be me? “Simple and grounded thoughts such as these have what kept her going and living a life that she would not trade for anything. Since she was young, there has always been someone who has guided her to move an inch closer to her destination. She gets her inspiration from watching her seniors play and is thankful to her playmates in the stadium for helping her get better in the game. She says, "Arif Sir is very inspiring and I am grateful to him for supporting me all this while". She is also grateful to her company, Bharat Petroleum, for their constant support Everyone has their ups and downs.

Victory comes to those who have graciously learnt from these experiences and make an attempt of not repeating the mistakes made in the past. These are not my thoughts but Shruti's and I second them. The match she cherishes the most was her first international match that she had won at the age of seventeen. "Everything went right that day", she says. When I asked Shruti if there was any lesson that she learnt from life, professionally or personally, the hard way, she says very honestly, "I have had a few encounters on the personal front and there were times when I had to make very difficult decisions. I am glad that I have stuck to them all this while and have come out strong". Whether one takes a right decision or a wrong one, it does not matter as long as you take one.

Being mentally strong is one of the attributes of a sports person for sixty percent of the match is won if you think you are going to win this one. On asking Shruti how she kept herself mentally fit, she says quite honestly. "That is one thing I am trying to work on. I am just a step away. Once I cross that step, everythiing will fall in place". She adores her family. She says with a twinkle in her eye, "All four of us are very different. My mother is a teacher. My father works with the income tax department and my sister is in media. We all have different attitudes and humour and its fun when we sit down at weekends on the dinner table. All we do is laugh!". On Nikhil, her husband, she says while grinning broadly, "I am very possessive though I am not very vocal about it". When I asked her about her biggest triumph on the personal front, she continues, "I am going through one right now. With me training here and my husband in Bangalore, it is very testing. Living apart is very difficult and I am just waiting for this period to get over and living together".

Nothing comes easy in life. Every achievement is weighed with an equal amount of hard work on the other side of the scale. For Shruti, things have not come easy and she has worked hard to achieve the success that she has today. ODE wishes her all the best in all her endeavors!