Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru

Bengaluru, Nov 21: “Social media cannot make or break your day,” declared six-time Grand Slam champion Sania Mirza, delivering a powerful message during a fireside chat with Indian cricketer Richa Ghosh at the Future Makers Conclave (FMC), held as part of the Bengaluru Tech Summit 2025. The session, moderated by sports journalist Mayanti Langer, featured a candid conversation on fame, mental resilience and navigating the pressures of modern-day sport.

Mirza, reflecting on her own journey, said she grew up at a time when media was evolving rapidly. “When I started, it was just newspapers. Sportstar was the only window to sports. Then electronic media came, tabloids came, and suddenly it wasn’t enough to talk about forehands and backhands. They wanted stories from an athlete's personal life, and then came the criticism — that you lost a match because you went out for dinner,” she said.

Such comments, she added, only made her tougher. “It made me very thick-skinned. I actually find it humorous that people who have never held a cricket bat or tennis racket can have strong opinions about what we do. Sometimes, I feel sad for them — you must be really unhappy to hate someone you’ve never met who is trying to represent the country.”

Her message to youngsters like Richa Ghosh was clear: “Don’t take the good to heart, and don’t take the bad to heart. Social media cannot be so important that it decides your day. What truly matters is what the people you love feel about you.”

Richa Ghosh, who represents a generation that grew up amid social media, offered a contrasting perspective. She said online criticism is a sign of how far women’s cricket has come.

“Earlier, we didn’t have many followers or fans. Now, as the numbers grow, so will criticism. I take it positively because it means more people are watching and appreciating what women’s cricket is doing.”

She added that growing attention brings responsibility but also reflects the rising stature of the women’s game. “The bigger we get, the more people come to watch. That’s a positive sign for all of us.”

The three-day Bengaluru Tech Summit, themed “Futurise” and organised by the Karnataka Department of Electronics, IT & Bt, concluded on Thursday at the Bangalore International Exhibition Centre (BIEC), drawing global participation and spotlighting emerging innovations across sectors.