Blog | My First Lesson In Delhi Came On The Lawns Of Gymkhana: Kiran Bedi Writes |
May 26, 2026 12:11 pm IST
Blog | My First Lesson In Delhi Came On The Lawns Of Gymkhana: Kiran Bedi Writes
During the years that followed my first visit, I returned often to Delhi for tournaments, playing competitive tennis and steadily improving my national ranking. I played gruelling matches on those courts - won some, lost some, learned from all.
Kiran Bedi Kiran Bedi Columnist
I was barely fourteen when I first stepped onto the lush green lawns of the Gymkhana Club in Delhi. I had travelled to the capital to participate in the National Tennis Championships - my first national tournament, my first experience of competitive tennis at that level, and my first encounter with Delhi itself.
I had come from Amritsar with a lively group of fellow tennis players. I was the only girl in the contingent. We travelled in an unreserved third-class railway compartment, armed with youthful enthusiasm, tennis dreams, and sports concession tickets. We were too young to feel discomfort and too excited to notice hardship.
Little did I know then that the city I was travelling to would one day become my permanent home.
For a young girl from Amritsar, accustomed to short distances, modest surroundings, and rickshaw rides, Delhi felt majestic. The city opened before me like a grand stage - wide avenues, stately buildings, and an air of importance I had never experienced before. We stayed in modest flats on Ferozeshah Road, residences of........