It was a proud moment for Odisha mountaineer Nilachala Parida as Royal Challengers Bangalore’s Chris Morris on Monday donned a jersey with the former’s name printed on it during the IPL match between RCB and Sunrisers Hyderabad.
The South African cricketer honoured Parida as a ‘Covid Hero’ as the latter had set up a vegetable shack during the lockdown and offered free home delivery to senior citizens.Morris also temporarily renamed his Twitter profile name as ‘Nilachala Parida’ as a mark of respect for the mountaineer.
The 24-year-old Parida, who resides in Bhubaneswar, had started selling vegetables near Delta Chhak in the city during the lockdown to support his family and raise money for the Government’s Covid relief funds.
He also delivered vegetables to people staying within a radius of 10 km with no distance limit for senior citizens.