Kidambi Srikanth, another badminton ace from the Telugu region who scripted history recently by winning French Open super series, is being honoured by Andhra Pradesh. The AP government decided on Wednesday to reward him with a cash prize of Rs 2 crores, a plot of land admeasuring 1000 sq yards in the new capital city Amaravati and a government job – deputy collector. Considering the fact that he is the only Indian to have won four super series in one year, Srikanth richly deserves awards from Telugu governments and patronage from the Telugu people.
However, there is an element of scoring brownie points in AP making its announcement first. Srikanth is another international player groomed and trained by Pullela Gopichand at his Hyderabad badminton academy. When he returned on Tuesday morning, the reception was low key compared to PV Sindhu’s last year when she brought Olympic silver. Though none had complaining about it, the contrast was stark and it was noticed in the sports fraternity. AP seized the opportunity to bestow honours on him. It also announced Rs 30 lakhs for the two coaches, including Gopichand.
As more and more players from Telugu states, particularly Hyderabad, are hitting global headlines – the latest sensation being Srikanth — demands are rising that the governments of both states should allot more funds for sports and bring out the latent talent hidden in small towns and villages.
