Jwala Gutta

“I have fought back. From not being allowed to play, I have now qualified for Olympics in two events, it is satisfying. I feel proud.”

“Having children is a great responsibility, and I don't want to have kids while I am still playing.”

“I love dressing up and I love looking good.”

“So when people used to call me 'chinki' I thought that okay maybe my mother is Chinese so they are calling me that. It was only in my 20s, when I travelled to the north-east that I realised that it was racist and that the north-easterners were called this and they were not considered Indians just because of the way they look.”

“Hollywood's Me Too campaign was massive. Do you think only those women who were harassed or sexually exploited were a part of the campaign? No. Everyone was a part of it, because until and unless you unite for a cause like this, nothing will change.”

“Crimes against women should stop.”

“When I play for the country, I represent the country and not any specific government that is ruling or not ruling.”

“Being bold is being fearless and having an opinion about issues.”

“Then, girls have to deal with a degree of unfair scrutiny about their life outside sports. If we have good hair or look good, we are called glamorous and it is presumed that we are not focused on sports. Nowadays, even the sportsmen are glamorous, good-looking, but they never face such scrutiny.”

“I don't know many footballers except Maradona and Messi.”

“Eight to ten hours in a day is the maximum you can give to a sport, any sport. After that, I should be free to do what I want.”

“I don't court controversies, but when I state facts, which are hard to digest for male-dominated authorities, they call them squabble.”

“For a sportsperson, 1 year is a long period.”

“If I lose a match, I don't get sad or feel down. But if I lose a close match, I surely have sleepless nights.”

“I don't expect people to understand, but as players who love the sport and have constantly been thrown a rock at by our association and now the Govt, there is only so much one can take.”

“People don't take badminton seriously. When I played, people never took me seriously.”

“Getting a medal is not a small feat, irrespective of what color it is.”

“Unless it happens naturally, the relationship doesn't work.”

“Yes, I am a rebel.”

“I love to play and bring honor to my country.”