Dipika Pallikal Raises A Racquet | Verve Magazine - Part 4
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Cover Story
August 17, 2015

Dipika Pallikal Raises A Racquet

Text by Shraddha Jahagirdar-Saxena. Jewellery by Jaipur Gems. Photographed by Ishaan Nair. Styling by Chandni Bahri. Make-Up And Hair by Rosario Belmonte, Anima Creative Management. Location Courtesy: Roche Bobois, Mumbai

Braving loneliness, new cultures and rigorous schedules, 23-year-old Dipika Pallikal has lived in different continents to pursue her passion for her sport. Undeterred by harsh losses and unexpected challenges, India’s top female squash player has successfully brought the individual sport into the limelight. Verve spends time with the sports star who, looking forward to her marriage with cricketer Dinesh Karthik, is gunning for the top spot in her game

Watching her relax on the sofa, giving her best profile in front of the camera, and aware that she has got offers to appear on celluloid, I ask her if she has ever seriously considered doing a movie. “Not at all,” she laughs. “It is true that in recent years I have finally got comfortable in front of the camera. But I do not think I will ever see myself becoming an actor. I am very happy in my sweaty clothes on the squash courts.”

As she leaves us at the end of the day, to take the flight back to Chennai, Pallikal is sitting pretty. Although disappointed that squash has not been included in the Rio Olympics, she says that there is the next Olympics to look forward to — where hopefully the game will get an inclusion. “A lot of good things have happened recently in Indian squash. We won medals at the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games. All these medals speak for themselves. And that is the most important thing for us as players. When you keep winning medals for your country, people tend to notice and take the sport seriously.”

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