Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday congratulated Indian shuttler PV Sindhu on her "retirement". However, he realised his gaffe and immediately deleted the tweet.
"Through her distinguished skills and dedication towards the game, PV Sindhu reached the pinnacle in the world of badminton. Time and again she has made the nation proud. Her thundering smashes will be missed on the court. My best wishes for her future endeavours," read the now-deleted tweet.
Twitter screengrab
Earlier in the day, PV Sindhu, by her own admission, gave her fans "a mini-heart attack" after announcing "I retire" on her official Twitter handle. In bold letters, she proclaimed: "Denmark Open was the final straw. I retire."
However, the lengthy post was in fact to create awareness regarding the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and how people should work together towards defeating the virus.
"I've been thinking about coming clean with my feelings for a while now. I admit I have been struggling to deal with it. It just feels so wrong, you know. That's why I'm writing today to tell you that I'm done. It's understandable if you're shocked or confused but by the time you finish reading this you would have learnt about my point of view, and hopefully, will support it too," Sindhu wrote.
"This pandemic has been an eye-opener for me. I could train hard to fight the toughest of opponents, tooth and nail, right till the final shot of the game. I have done it before, I can do it again. But how do I defeat this invisible virus that has the entire world in a fix? It has been months at home and we still question ourselves every time we step out. Internalizing all this and reading about so many heart-breaking stories online has got me to question a lot about myself and this world we live in. Not being able to represent India in the Denmark Open was the last straw," she added.
The shuttler then said she chooses to retire from this negativity, uncertainty, and "our lackadaisical attitude towards the virus." "Today, I choose to retire from this current sense of unrest. I retire from this negativity, the constant fear, uncertainty. I choose to retire from a complete lack of control over the unknown. Most importantly, I choose to retire from substandard hygiene standards and our lackadaisical attitude towards the virus," the badminton player said.
"We must not digress; we need to be better prepared. We must defeat this virus together. The choices we make today will define our future and the future of the next generation. We cannot afford to let them down. I may have given you guys a mini-heart attack; unprecedented times require unprecedented measures. I guess I needed to get you guys to sit up and take notice," she added.
"That being said, we must be hopeful about the light shining at the end of the tunnel. Yes, Denmark Open didn't happen but that won't stop me from training. When life comes at you, one must come back twice as hard. So will I for the Asia Open. I refuse to give up without putting up a solid fight. I refuse to give up without conquering this fear. And will carry on doing so till we have a safer world," Sindhu concluded.
(With ANI inputs)
