TIMES are tough, but national junior shuttler V. Poopathi will still get to celebrate Deepavali this year with his family.
This is after the BA of Malaysia (BAM) gave the 16-year-old clearance to travel back to Kulim, Kedah to celebrate the Festival of Lights with his loved ones.
To make things even more special, Poopathi's older brother, Jeevaa, who studies computer science in Canada, is back for the first time in six years.
"I'm really happy because BAM have approved my request to celebrate Deepavali with my family.
"I have never been away from my family, and I was so worried that this year would be the first because of the Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO).
"Thankfully, I will get to be with my family, although we will celebrate it on a small scale this year," said Poopathi, who successfully retained his place in Group A, after winning all of his matches in the recent National Junior Ranking (promotion and relegation) Challenge at the Academy Badminton Malaysia (ABM) in Bukit Kiara.
On what he usually does on Deepavali, Poopathi added: "We will usually wake up early, have our oil bath and head to the temple for prayers.
"Apart from that, we would visit our relatives. This year, however, it's just among the family."
Poopathi is the youngest of four siblings.
The third in the family, Rooben Raj, was a former national shuttler, who is now studying in HELP University.
Poopathi will return to Kuala Lumpur next week. However, he will have to undergo a Covid-19 swab test before rejoining the national training programme.
"I will have to self-quarantine when I return. But if my test result returns negative, I can immediately rejoin the training programme."
Meanwhile, Sea Games gold medallist S.Kisona and national women's doubles shuttler M.Thinaah have opted to stay put at ABM.
For the two senior shuttlers, being away from the family during festive periods is not something new, and they do not want to go through the hassle of the CMCO.
"It is too much of a hassle. Being away on Deepavali is not something new.
"In fact, last month we celebrated Halloween at ABM. We all got to play dress up, and that was fun. That should do for now," said Thinaah.