While entire India rejoiced the historic victory of Indian Men’s Hockey Team in the Bronze medal match at the Tokyo Olympic Games, non-resident Indians also celebrated the emotional moment at Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest tower, in Dubai on Thursday evening.
India clinched medal after a gap of over four decades in a thrilling 5-4 victory against a strong team like Germany. Holding the Indian Flag, placards and sharing sweets with each other, a group of NRIs celebrated this huge success. They said they wanted to send out a symbolic but highly significant message to all the people back home that NRIs across globe share joy of magical moment and would like to express their appreciation to Indian Hockey Team. Priyadarshee Panigrahi, who is General Manager of Dubai-based FMCG company, and was part of celebrations said, “This was moment he and his generation have been dreaming of.” “It was very apt to celebrate such a momentous victory at an iconic venue – Burj Khalifa,” said Imdad Mohammed, an insurance industry professional. Another reveller Dev Mishra, who is an IT professional, said, “This is a moment to thank Indian Team and congratulate them for joy that have brought to all Indians.” Most of NRIs at Burj Khalifa were from Odisha. They praised Odisha Government for its continuous support to hockey in India. Odisha has sponsored national men’s and women’s hockey teams since 2018. Over years, the State has produced many national-level hockey players. With historic victory at Olympics, the revellers in Dubai hailed State Government led by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for its generous patronage of hockey.