How PV Sindhu's Father Championed Sindhu's Dream Of Becoming A World Champion

Becoming a world champion wasn’t just the fruit of PV Sindhu’s hard work but was also because of the senior PV's relentless support. The world today might know PV Ramana as the father of the Indian shuttle queen PV Sindhu. But for a generation gone by, the man from Andhra Pradesh was one of the fiercest spikers that helped the Indian volleyball team to many highs during its heydays. He came from a humble background and a large family, which had to make do without his father. His father passed away very early in his life.

An employee of Indian Railways in Secunderabad, the 6’3” PV Ramana first played volleyball for India at the age of 20 in the 1984 Asian Junior Volleyball Championship.

Parents are the most important part of an athlete’s success as they understand the psyche of a child better than the others,” PV Sindhu shared in a recent interview.

“I spend a lot of time with my father watching matches of myself and other players to analyze and plan my strategy against them.”

From helping her with the practice to making sure she trains after that, Ramana has been a disciplinarian with her - but the results are for everyone to see.

And as she became a World Champion, he had only one thing to say - 'I knew it'.

“I always believed that she would conquer the world. Today, she made me very proud. I had tears in my eyes. She missed the Gold very narrowly twice but today she was on top from the first point.” Says PV Ramanan. This statement shows that her father was her biggest cheerleader.

During one of the interviews after Sindhu's Olympic silver medal win, JBS Vidyadhar, a former India doubles player, elaborated on the struggles and hard work that went into making Sindhu a world-class player.

“Waking up every day at 3 AM and taking Sindhu for training for close to 12 years is not a joke. From Marredpally her father used to drop and pick her up from Gopichand’s Academy at Gachibowli, driving 60-kilometer twice a day.

He would massage her feet when she would get tired from all the practice and would go wherever she went”, something told by A. Chowdary, Joint Secretary, Badminton Association of India. 

When everybody was fast asleep he woke up for a cause. Ramana gave up everything for Sindhu. He used to follow his daughter like a shadow wherever she went to play. If today Sindhu is standing as one of the top players of the world, it is because of her Father.

There is a lot more to come from PV Sindhu and we have all best wishes in our hearts for the champion. However, this women’s day as we celebrate her, let us also celebrate her Father who stood strongly with her champion daughter like her shadow in the background. More power to senior PV and men like him, who stand strongly for her. #himforher