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ADVANTAGE HYDERABAD

It has been a while since Hyderabad produced a national icon in sports - over two decades have passed since Mohammad Azharuddin made a splash on the national scene with his record-setting consecutive centuries on his first three debut Test matches. Lifting the scandalous cloud under which Azhar had exited the field a few years ago is the teen tennis sensation Sania Mirza, the home-town girl who went on to win the Hyderabad Open title in February, thereby becoming the first Indian to win a WTA title. Quickly dubbed the 'Princess of Hyderabad,' Mirza became a national celebrity just a month earlier when she became the first Indian woman to reach the third round of the Australian Open, going down to no-less-than Serena Williams, who was all praise for the Hyderabadi. Needless to say, Indian Americans will be eager to see her at the U.S. Open later this year.
Below, Sania Mirza negotiating a rally during her semifinal match at the Hyderabad Open Tennis Tournament in February. Inset, Mirza with her hard-won women's single title at the Hyderabad Open. Right, the tennis sensation signing autographs for enthralled fans.
Give 'em hell, Sonjay
Talking of sports icons, this guy is not a sensation yet. That is to say, he's not a household name yet. But, boy, is he on a roll! Sonjay Dutt is a 22-year-old wrestler. Yes, that is true.

To quote a review of him by Nashville-based National Wrestling Alliance/Total Nonstop Action (NWA/TNA), Dutt is the "high-flying aerial artist from India who made a huge splash in TNA by winning the X Triple Chance Tournament in 2003. After nearly winning the X gold, Dutt earned the honor of being a member of Team NWA in the Americas X Cup Tournament against Mexico's AAA promotion. Without a doubt, the future looks extremely bright for Sonjay, who has only begun to scratch the surface of his TNA career!" Got it?!

"In the Indian culture, it's very important to become a lawyer, doctor, or engineer. Make a lot of money and make your parents really happy," he says. "I never wanted to do anything like that." Atta boy.

But how did he get the impression that wrestling is not a part of Indian culture? This is the problem of some second generation Indian Americans who don't pay attention to either Indian history or its epics.

Dear Sonjay, ever heard of Bhima, one of the five Pandava brothers in the Mahabharat? He just happened to be a great wrestler... 3,000 years ago.

All the same, it's a great credit to this young man to be acknowledged as a 'superstar wrestler' in the American wrestling fraternity.

Considering the somewhat smaller build of the South Asian race (he's just 5' 8"), it's heartening to see the Indian American standing up to those big, burly wrestlers.

And even his once-dismayed parents who wanted him to be a college grad with a mortgage, are now quite happy, apparently watching him on television, including the Fox Network (where else, one might say, for a redneck sport).

Dutt hopes he is opening possibilities for other Indians. "I hope whatever I'm doing, I'm doing right, it's motivating people and helping people follow their dreams as well."

At least he's not wrestling with a dilemma.

Sonjay Dutt, who made a huge splash in TNA by winning the X Triple Chance (Wrestling) Tournament in 2003.

- Paul E. Pratt contributed to this report