How and why Vinesh Phogat's social media post makes you again fall in love with her

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National celebrations are on in New Delhi as well as a few other cities to celebrate the limited success of India winning six medals in the Paris 2024 Olympics. In a few weeks' time, the same athletes will have to get back to training in various fields of play, as success in sports gets forgotten quickly.

What will not be forgotten so fast is one athlete - Vinesh Phogat. The lady who tipped over the scales by just 100gm returned to India on Saturday and celebrations have begun.

Before anyone says what is there to celebrate, since there are so many pessimists at home, be sure, Vinesh literally played with her life, before she had to give up. To be scratched from the Paris 2024 Olympics just before the gold medal bout was heartbreak. What followed was even more traumatic, where the CAS -- Court For Arbitration in Sports -- stuck to the rule book and gave no relief to Vinesh and crores of fans in India. The wait for an Olympic silver medal for Vinesh was eternal before it went bust on Thursday night.

Vinesh, herself, has not talked of the medal. She has, in fact, moved on. To announce her retirement was great timing, something like what Viru Sehwag did when his hand-eye coordination was intact and he would hammer sixes at will, even in Test cricket. What's the link between Sehwag and Vinesh Phogat? Well, both have the typical Haryana DNA in them, to excel in the field of play.

On Friday night, Vinesh put out a long emotional post on social media. What was unique, she wrote it in English, since she prefers Hindi, a language which almost 80 per cent of Indians understand today. Maybe, she chose English, as today, Vinesh Phogat has a mass connection with the audience. Love her or hate her, she strikes an emotional chord with people in Asia at large and even beyond.

For her to talk of her travails, how she lost her father at a young age and how she grew up dreaming big, the post on Twitter (X) is a must-read. It tells you, how hard she has worked and how painful it is to come near an Olympic medal. To portray it emotionally, imagine a mom wanting to kiss her newborn child in the hospital ward, only to be told by the doctor there is no heart-beat in the child. Isn't that most cruel?

The same thing happened with Vinesh, in her personal life, where her Dad passed away early and she had to see her mother in a state which was painful. To dream big, to come so close to an Olympic medal after three campaigns in Rio de Janeiro 2016, Tokyo 2021 and Paris 2024, Vinesh Phogat is the queen even in a tragedy.

The beauty is, if you read her post, she is not bitter, nor is she crying. She is celebrating life, she is thankful to all those who have been part of her journey, from Dr Dinshaw Pardiwala to coach Woller Akos and physio Ashwini Jeevan Patil. They meant more to her than own family members these last two years plus, through highs and lows.

To be away from the immediate family, where husband Somvir is also a central character, Vinesh has not forgotten him. She is, in fact, thankful, he supported her. Imagine, in an Indian society, especially Haryana, a husband plays second fiddle to the wife, minus any grudge. If this is not going to pull at your heart strings, nothing can.

Let Vinesh and everyone celebrate her return to India. She has every reason to, for she is a champion in the hearts of millions, even without a medal. Celebrate Vinesh Phogat for fighting so hard, where she risked her renal system and life before she was put on an IV (intravenous) drip to get her hydration levels back. This was not optics.

This was her sincere attempt at weight loss. For those suggesting Vinesh Phogat could have almost shaved her head off, no, that would have been crazy. There was no guarantee she could have still made the weight cut, plus being a married lady, there are so many connotations, in Indian society, even today.

Deep down, Vinesh is a rural girl from Haryana. So what if she has a top-end cell phone in her hand? So what if she lives mostly in New Delhi. Deep down, her roots are Haryanvi. Imagine, a state which is known for female infanticide produces so many champions. Don't forget, even Saina Nehwal hails from Haryana, though she adopted Hyderabad as her home. Don't forget, Sakshi Malik, Manu Bhaker and Rani Rampal, all come from Haryana.

Back to Vinesh and the Phogat family legacy, a Dangal 2 movie may be appropriate. Here, there is no fiction. It is a real-life story which has been captured. To present it in reels, not, of course on Insta, Vinesh Phogat has already scripted the synopsis - thoughtful, intense and passionate. If you still don't fall in love with Vinesh Phogat, then you cannot be a romantic even if Mona Lisa appears before you!