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20 saal ke tapasya ke baad yeh Padma Shri mila hai: Pramod Bhagat
Pramod Bhagat is delighted with being honoured with the Padma Shri. Bhagat is currently training in Spain and will most likely fly down to India, in March to participate in the ceremony of Padma awards this year.
One good news after another is being rolled out to 33 year old Paralympian Pramod Bhagat who has now been honoured with the Padma Shri award. “After getting a gold medal for India in the Tokyo Paralympics and winning the Khel Ratna award in 2021, this year has started with being conferred the Padma Shri award and I couldn’t imagine a happier beginning to 2022,” says Bhagat.
The award has motivated Bhagat to bring more laurels to the nation in this year. “After the Paralympics last year, I had to attend to many events and my rhythm and practice suffered. However, I am currently training in Spain and after being honoured by the Padma Shri I am extremely motivated to perform well in the upcoming championships. Very few people in sports are honoured with the Padma Shri. I am so excited about being the first para-badminton athlete to ever get a Padma Shri. I am so happy because my sport is getting recognised because of me,” he shares.
Bhagat’s first reaction to receiving a WhatsApp call by government officials who gave him the news of the award, as he trained in Spain, was of disbelief. “In the morning I received a call from the government informing me that I will be conferred the Padma Shri. At first I didn’t believe the news and kept verifying through asking questions if the call and news was genuine or not (laughs). Slowly when the news sunk in, I was very excited and called my family and friends to tell them about the news,” says Bhagat.
Currently ranked world number one in para-badminton men’s singles, Bhagat’s journey as a para athlete hasn’t been an easy one. After battling polio as a kid, Bhagat emerged as a force to reckon with in the para-sports arena. “Life mein kathinai bahut hai, lekin aap jab uss kathinai se aage nikalte ho toh kamiyabi aapke paas khud chal ke aajati hai. I had dreamt of getting the Padma Shri since 20 years and I credit my hard work and perseverance for the win. 20 saal ke tapasya ke baad yeh award meri jholi mein aa raha hai. Desh ke liye kuch kar paaya, I am so happy. Hope youngsters get encouraged by seeing this and devote themselves to service of their nation,” says Bhagat.
Ask Bhagat who he dedicates this award to, and he is quick to say,“I dedicate this award to my family, my seniors, my villagers in Odisha and my coaches who supported me and enabled me to reach where I am at today. You should never forget those who supported you in the beginning of your journey.”
And what are Bhagat’s plan on coming back to India? “My tournaments in Spain will go on till late March, however if the date of the award ceremony clashes with these tournaments, I might fly down to India and receive my award because this award means a lot to me. For me, my personal win at any tournament is not as important as representing my state and my sport and taking the Padma Shri award from my government,” signs off Bhagat.
Author tweets @FizzyBuddha
