Sania Mirza deserves fulsome praise for becoming the first Indian tennis player to reach the number one position in the world, in the doubles version of the game. It is by all means a stupendous achievement. Her victory is a feat to be rejoiced by all, but the real credit goes to her along with her partner Martina Hingis.
Her victory is also a befitting answer to all those who under-estimate women or blame them for failures of others — as was recently seen in the case of actor Anushka Sharma's, who was blamed for cricketer Virat Kohli's under-performance in the just concluded cricket World Cup. We must change our mindset.
Sania Mirza’s victory should also silence those who had been questioning her nationalist credentials and her loyalty to India following her marriage to a Pakistani. The strength of our society lies in providing equal opportunity for and just treatment to women.