“Are you interviewing meIJ where do I have the time to answer your questions,” said Sakshi Malik, the young Haryana grappler who was chased for bytes and selfies at Rashtrapati Bhawan after the National Sports Awards ceremony here.
While a nonplussed Sakshi, hogging the limelight along with fellow Olympic stars, obliged the fans for selfies, gymnast Dipa Karmakar patiently explained the pronunciation of her last name to an elderly person.
The elegant and composed PV Sindhu too posed for the cameras happily before rushing out of Rashtrapati Bhawan.
These were a few happy scenes at one of the halls of the Rashtrapati Bhawan but at one corner, sitting on a wheel chair, was Vinesh Phogat submerged in deep thoughts, perhaps still thinking about what could have been an Olympic medal but for the knee injury sustained in Rio.
She received her Arjuna Award seated on a wheelchair and President Pranab Mukherjee himself stepped forward to present her the trophy and citation, drawing a huge applause from the gathering at Durbar Hall.
Her right leg plastered, due to a ligament tear, Vinesh barely managed a smile even as she kept thanking people for their wishes.
Asked how long will it take for her to recover, she said, “I don’t now. Maybe 4 months, 5 months, 6 months.”
A quiet lalita Babar happily obliged interview-seekers, saying that she will ‘rest’ for two months before re-starting her preparations for the Asian and World Championship.
Sindhu to be Commandant
Country’s largest paramilitary force CRPF has decided to appoint Olympic silver medallist P V Sindhu as it’s brand ambassador and bestow the honorary rank of Commandant on the ace badminton player.
Official sources said the force has moved a formal proposal in this regard to the Union Home Ministry and after getting required sanctions, Sindhu will be honoured and presented the rank badges and camouflage combat fatigues of the CRPF at a ceremonial event.
A Commandant rank in the CRPF is equivalent to the position of a Superintendent of Police (SP).