PV Sindhu’s masterful strokes: From acrylics on canvas to pencil sketches
The Covid pandemic was the longest period that double Olympic medallist Sindhu has stayed at home since becoming a professional badminton player.
Looking to liven up this unfamiliar scenario, the athlete – who is often the subject of fan art – decided to pick up a painting brush herself.
Sindhu liked drawing when she was in school and thought it would be fun to tap into this creative outlet once more. This time, however, she decided to challenge herself by painting in acrylics on a canvas rather than drawing in her diary.
The subject can be anything that strikes Sindhu’s fancy. Her Covid-time paintings featured a mix of themes, including nature, city landscapes and silhouettes of dancers.
Since the pandemic restrictions were lifted, however, Sindhu once again usually opts for a more travel-friendly sketchbook instead of the bulky canvas.
“I used to paint on canvas with acrylic, but now it’s just sketching with a pencil,” the current world No.12 said. “I did some random stuff on the canvas at times or on plain paper in the books.”
These sketches are proving a great stress-reliver for the athlete, who is trying to qualify for her third Olympic Games after taking silver at Rio 2016 and bronze at Tokyo 2020.
“Sometimes I do it to just let my mind go, just relax. I do it for that at times,” Sindhu said.
“We’re too busy training and there’s no time because we’re travelling,” she continued. “I really love travelling, so it’s good that I come for tournaments, but we don’t get to go out and sightsee. It’s more of badminton and back to room, so when I get some time off, I listen to music and sketch a bit.”
While some of Sindhu’s paintings were even displayed at the Suchitra Academy in her hometown Hyderabad in summer 2020, the badminton star is modest about her artistic skills.
“Do not expect more!” she said. “It’s not really good, but yes, I can manage.”
