How three 'gifted' points inspired Hithaishree to flip the script

Bengaluru: A mere three points was all Hithaishree L Rajaiah managed to garner in the opening qualifying round of the first ever tournament she entered as a seven-year-old in 2017. The scoreline read 11-1, 11-2 in favour of her opponent in the under-9 girls’ category of a well-known all-India badminton south zone qualifier event in Bengaluru.  

What followed was a non-stop two-hour flood of tears which had her parents worried.  

“She was inconsolable. We thought she would wake up the next morning and tell us that she will never play badminton again. Aadre, full ulta hodidhbitlu (but she flipped the script),” reminisced father Lokesh Rajaiah. He still sounds astonished but a sense of pride is hard to miss. 

What began as ‘playing for fun’ in 2016, was about to become the purpose of Hithaishree’s formative years after the crushing loss. It instilled a sense of stubbornness to learn everything to get better and a yearning for victories. 

Not only did Hithaishree return to the same event a year later and won it, but the now 15-year-old went on to become Karnataka’s and India’s No. 1 in the U-13 and U-15 age categories. At the Senior Nationals this January, the teen made heads turn by knocking out the higher-ranked Rujula Ramu (13-21, 21-16, 21-18) in the first round after making it to the main draw by winning four qualifying rounds. 

Take her back to where it all started and Hithaishree’s answer gives you a hint of the attitude that has helped her climb up the ladder so far. 

“I did not cry because I lost. I was feeling bad that I was unable to win points on my own,” recollected the grade 10 student of Poorna Vikasa Vidyalaya in JP Nagar. 

“My opponent hit two serves long and (I think) made a mistake on purpose to gift me those three points. That made me angry at myself. It made me feel dumb. I went in thinking badminton was easy. And that’s when I told myself that I better learn how to win,” said Hithaishree who trains at the Yadav Pro Badminton Academy (YPBA). 

While collecting trophies became a habit, Hithaishree’s talent and personality made her the perfect candidate for Sudha Murthy’s brainchild - a sponsorship programme called ‘Girls for Gold’ a collaboration between Infosys Foundation and GoSports Foundation. With a total of 25 girls, each aged between 13-19 years across five sports, the programme provides holistic and financial support throughout the year for potential future women sports stars. 

“It is her fearless attitude and sheer grit that has helped her make steady progress,” said coach Jagadish Yadav. 

“Of course, tactically and technically there will always be improvements to make. But she is self-motivated, so it makes my job easier,” he added. 

Hithaishree fell short in the final hurdle, giving her three junior All-India runner-up titles in 2024. Now, her immediate goal is to grab a winner’s trophy. She was part of the Indian junior team for the Asian Badminton Championships held in China last year. It was also her first time wearing an Indian jersey. 

“..wait, I want to tell you something,” interjected Hithaishree. “At an all-India tournament, I went and asked a few players if I could practice with them. They said no and asked me to leave. But when I turned and they saw my name above Karnataka on my shirt, they realised who I was and called me back. People know my name but not how I look. That will change soon too.”