In Punjab’s Ludhiana and Amritsar, where badminton thrives, they call Meena Sharma, mother of World Juniors contender Tanvi, the ‘Mahaveer Phogat of badminton.’ Meena might gently shake her head, graciously accept the praise, but will know deep down, just how much more difficult was her journey as a single-mother in nurturing careers of daughters Tanvi and Radhika, than the wrestler’s.

Hoshiarpur, bordering Himachal, had a strictly make-do badminton court, with Jalandhar boasting of a proper wooden one. Family finances were often in strife with two careers to juggle. And Meena had to learn badminton from scratch.

She meticulously kept notes on training patterns and schedules of Saina Nehwal, Sindhu and even Srikanth and Kashyap when Radhika won a brief spot at the Gopichand academy. An

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