It’s hard being Manu Bhaker. Winning two bronze medals in the Paris 2024 Olympics and finishing fourth in the sports pistol event has made her a big celebrity. But it has come at a massive price, she gets trolled for anything and everything she does. If social media be a court of law and its ‘users’ judges seated in the chairs, the trolls have gone berserk. For, anything she posts, be it on X (Twitter) or Insta, there is a pack of hounds waiting to prey on her.
Some samples. When Neeraj Chopra finished second in the Diamond League finals, she put out a post congratulating him. It was an extremely honest tweet, from one champion to another. Replies were caustic, some asking ‘who the hell are you to congratulate Neeraj!’ What was her crime in congratulating Neeraj, God knows. There were some decent replies as well, but the mast majority who want to troll her, make it so cheap.
Second instance, Manu posts a ‘happy birthday’ tweet for 2008 Beijing Olympics gold medallist, Abhinav Bindra. Again, the replies section on X (Twitter) go ballistic. It’s almost like Manu has achieved nothing in her shooting career and she has no right to genuinely wish Abhinav, who himself posed for a photo with her in Chateauorux, venue for the shooting events at the Paris 2024. The reply which really mattered was Bindra thanking her. No, trolls, went after her, hammer and tong. If they had a pistol in their hand, they would perhaps have taken aim at her.
Another post, Manu wears the medals around her neck won at the Paris Olympics and writes, ‘these medals belong to India.’ Again, ballistic replies, some saying she is a show-off. Replies in Hindi were cheap, win gold, not show off ‘peetal’ (bronze). It has taken Indian shooters 12 years to even win ‘peetal’ medals, three from Paris. So, if a beginning has been made, why abuse Manu for medals not sealing gold.
As a responsible voter, when Manu goes to her polling booth in Goria, her village in Haryana and posts a snap and writes ‘I got inked,’ she was telling youth to exercise their franchise for the elections. Mind you, there was no mention of any political party. Again, responses are mixed. This hate culture and telling her she ‘shows off’ has to end. As a champion who is entitled to lead her life, Manu faces flak. That she has not run away from social media is admirable.
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More recently, Manu and her pet Lobo were seen together. It was a cute snap. And her message was even more beautiful: ‘Love animals.’ That post turned some X handles into beasts, they were out to bite her. There is no reason for this hatred, there is no logic at all. And when she posts a photo of herself on Insta and X on taking exams in Chandigarh, she is abused as being uneducated. In Hindi, she has been called as ‘ganwaar,’ (illiterate) which is extremely cheap. What’s her mistake, she was merely suggesting, sports and politics can be done together. It was a message which resonated with the youth, but not with the illiterate handles who use ChatGpt to generate replies.
Two days ago, the worst abuse was in store for her when she had mentioned the Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award and if she could get it. The post was deleted. Again, intrigue. Some said her X handle was hacked, some said she was begging for an award. More stories have been written on this even by digital platforms from big media houses. Not one of these people got a version from her. They won’t, because she is taking her Masters exams in Chandigarh.
Perhaps, when Manu Bhaker walked the ramp in a black outfit, it was a welcome change. Standing in a shooting lane, pressing the trigger in a freeze frame, is very different from attempting a fashion dress walk in front of an audience. She pulled it off well, but people did not like it. Trolls love to hate Manu. Two things will happen, either she stops using social media, which she should not, or she ignores all of them.
Some of the replies have made it very difficult for her family. Is this the price for becoming an Olympic champion who wins two medals in one edition of the Olympics?
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