02 August,2015 01:30 PM IST | | Sundari Iyer
India's ace doubles badminton player and Arjuna awardee wants to explore her country better while on the circuit; especially the backwaters of Kerala and Leh
India's top women's doubles shuttler Jwala Gutta says that she hates work-related travel with heavy kitbags, but eagerly awaits to explore places if it is for leisure. The Arjuna awardee said that she would like to go to places in India especially Leh and backwaters of Kerala.
Jwala Gutta at the inauguration of the multisports facility at the Sulochanadevi Singhania School in Thane on Saturday.
Pic/Sayed Sameer Abedi
"I travel across the globe for tournaments, but never really get a chance to explore places. When I took a break in 2013, I visited my cousin and went around Scotland. Even when I had been to Rishikesh with friends a couple of years ago, I was amazed at the natural beauty. In India, I would love to go to Leh and also to Kerala. Abroad it would be Ireland, Wales and Great Britain in general," Gutta told Sunday mid-day on Saturday in Thane where she inaugurated a multisports facility at the Smt Sulochanadevi Singhania School in Thane. Gutta loves shopping too. "I love to shop. When I am not playing, I like to hang around with friends, go shopping, go to spas and relax. My perfect idea of chilling would be to sleep, have home cooked food and watch television," said Gutta, who is looking forward to a good showing at the August 10-16 World Championships in Jakarta. The 2010 Commonwealth Games women's doubles gold medallist wants to open an academy in her post-playing days and teach kids the holistic approach to living apart from playing the sport.
"I'd still be associated with the sport after I stop playing and I would open an academy where children will be taught the correct way to live apart from playing.
Teaching ambition
"We are becoming impatient and stress levels are going up even in kids. The crime rates in the country are on the rise since there is lack of education about the basic values of equality between men and women. I hear a lot of crime on women, but for that to stop, children need to be educated in a holistic manner," said Gutta, who is No 12 in the women's doubles ranking charts.
