Manu Bhaker bans parents from overseas trips to carve out a slice of freedom

The 16-year-old, who is one of the favourites at the Asian Games in Indonesia, had brought home World Cup and Commonwealth Games gold medals this year in a sudden rise to fame. However, with a tough training schedule and a restrictive lifestyle, she found that “success comes at a price”. Bhaker said she had resorted to banning her parents from her overseas trips in order to carve out a slice of freedom and felt all the restrictions were not letting her live normally.

“They (My parents) make limits for me. Right from what to eat, what not to eat, what to do and what not to do. I want to live normally and as a result, I have told them not to accompany me for my foreign tours,” Bhaker told AFP.

Bhaker, who has a very tight daily-schedule, expressed that the most punishing rule for the juniors is the one where they are allowed to use their phones just for an hour every day. She further said that her seniors are lucky as they can do whatever they feel like.

“They are seniors and they are free. They can do anything they want. They can use their phones any time,” she added.

She also admitted that she felt lonely sometimes. She revealed that most of her friends did not treat her normally considering her achievements and felt that her friend circle had decreased.

“I do feel lonely sometimes as most of my friends do not behave normally when I am around. They keep saying I am a Commonwealth gold medalist. Your friend circle decreases,” Bhaker said.