Sania Mirza's Anti-Terror Action

Tuesday, 01 December 2009

Earlier this year Sania Mirza received a hero's welcome in India after she became the first woman from the world's second most populous nation to win a Grand Slam title - the Australian Open mixed doubles, with Mahesh Bhupathi. But the 23-year-old has never shied away from making statements off court as well, and on Sunday she lent her status in support of an anti-terrorism event held in the capital, New Delhi. Mirza was among a bevy of eminent figures form the worlds of sports, arts and civil society who took part in the hour-long ceremony, which was organized by India's home ministry under the theme 'A Nation In Solidarity Against Terror'. The November 29 staging was symbolic, as it marked 12 months since the end of the four-day terrorist siege across Mumbai, in which at least 173 people were killed and more than 300 injured. Other famous Indians at the India Gate war memorial with Mirza included Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Kahn, Olympic gold medalist shooter Abhinav Bindra and violin player L Subramaniam. Several government ministers were also present. As part of the cultural agenda of music and readings, the tennis star evoked Rabindranath Tagore's famous poem 'Where The Mind is Without Fear'. Singers Kavita Krishnamurthy, Shankar Mahadevan, Shreya Ghoshal and Shilpa Rao performed iconic leader Mahatama Gandhi's favourite bhajan (devotional songs). Currently ranked No.58, Mirza, a practicing Muslim, negotiates a tricky path between delighting fans with her on-court achievements and drawing criticism from conservative sections of society. In 2008 she was awarded an honorary Doctor of Letters degree from a university in the city of Chennai.

 

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