“Hitch your wagon to a star”, the idiom from an 1862-Ralph Waldo Emerson essay, has made a permanent place in my heart and mind.

I believe that it is only when we dream high and aspire higher that we get the courage to stick our heads out and fight for it. It is also important to hang on to your dream, no matter how far or tough it seems. For, only when we chase that dream will we get any closer to it.

If someone has been showing what it means to chase a dream and how to do it, it is our sportspersons. They have truly shown what it takes to focus on your ambition in an environment that hardly favours your plans. In March end, Saina Nehwal became the world’s number one singles badminton player. Sania Mirza is the first Indian woman to be crowned the world’s top-ranked doubles tennis player. Not too long back, Sardar Singh, the Indian hockey team captain, made India proud in its national game. Under his captainship, it was for the first time that India beat the world champion Australia in a series in their own country.

All these sportspeople made it to the global stage despite personal and professional setbacks in the past, and overcame numerous everyday challenges, the least of them being self-doubt creeping in at times.

What better way to celebrate the world’s number one badminton player’s victory than have her on the cover to share her story of trial and tribulation with you, dear reader. Nehwal shares with us what it took for her to chase her dream, no matter how difficult it looked at times.

And while we talk of chasing dream, it’s worth reading our Looking Back section. Author and scriptwriter Advaita Kala shares the story of following her heart. Despite having exciting assignments in some of the best properties in the hospitality industry, the writer managed to stay true to who she really is — a free spirit. She listened to her inner voice and look where she is!

So go on, chase your dream — Hitch your wagon to a star.

And happy reading!