Sania’s day out with schoolkids

- ‘Becoming an icon comes with its share of responsibility’

Sania Mirza at a school function on Monday

Calcutta: It was a time of sheer euphoria for the school kids. Add to that a substantial dose of chaos. The reason? Sania Mirza. The teen tennis sensation visited St Thomas’ Girls School, Kidderpore, and the Heritage School on Monday morning as a mark of recognition to the schools for having sent a large number of entries for the Sunfeast Open Trophy design contest.

It was meant to be an interactive session with the kids. But the jostle between her security personnel and the TV cameramen at St Thomas’ did not leave much room for it.

In a black and white outfit, looking fresh and bubbly, Sania invited the girls at St Thomas’ to come and watch her play at the Sunfeast Open on Tuesday.

“Whatever you do, do it to the best of your abilities. Enjoy whatever you choose to do in life, have fun. And remember, do nothing to please others. Self-satisfaction is what is most important,” was her word of advice to the awe-struck girls, and she was off to keep her date with the children of Heritage School.

The scene there was better and the kids got the opportunity to shoot a few questions at her.

What would she have asked her idol if the scene was different and her idol was the one on stage answering questions, asked one.

Sania’s idol is, of course, Steffi Graf. And she would have been absolutely tongue-tied had she been in that situation, came the prompt reply.

Everything comes with a price. What is the price that she is paying for her fame? Pat came the reply: “My privacy, of course.”

How does it feel to appear on the cover of the Time magazine? “Great, of course,” said Sania, but went on to add that becoming an icon sure comes with a responsibility — of what to wear, what to say and how to conduct oneself.

Is she getting lost in the sea of endorsements that she is making these days? On the contrary, she believes it is helping bring tennis into greater focus.

“For, in India, except for cricketers, the general public has little knowledge about other sports and you have to explain which discipline of sport you specialise in.”

Sania sure has changed that scenario.