I can’t forget this date, November 9th, 2021, time I shall say 11 AM, when the honorable president, that time, Kovind, he stepped down with me and gave that award.

That video went viral.

Even the…

After he became the ex-president, he sends me messages.

Padma awards, they will announce on January 26th every year.

Mine, and the previous before the meeting, January 25th, I got a call from the Home Minis…Home Secretary, that your award is shortlisted.

I was surprised.

I was not applied for the India’s fourth highest award.

How can my this one get shortlisted?

So on that day, 25th…26th, mostly I would have got around 500 to 1000 calls, including Home secretary, Governor…

Everyone started behave…because they read my story.

This is a rare person who is getting an award and identified.

So they wanted my reactions.

But how can I give my reaction?

I said I’m very surprised to go and get this fourth highest…

I had tried for Arjuna Award.

It was in 2005.

My achievement was good in Dwarf Games.

I got six medals.

Seeing that achievement, the Limca Book of Records, my name was recorded.

I was a secretary for Karnataka Para Badminton Association (KPBA).

And we had formed that association.

National, I was the president.

So we started conducting Nationals every year to identify the newly talented people to represent our country, bring laurels to our country, like that.

So this started developing.

First, we had only, in all India, around 20 players.

Today we have 200 players.

In that, around 10 to 15 are all top-ranked players.

And recently in Tokyo Paralympics, our Indian Para Badminton won 2 Gold, won 1 Silver.

So this history made something proud to us, because we founded, today it had gone to a beautiful, this one.

The journey…

And I retired from sports in the 2012.

After that I started concentrating only on the federation, for the promotion, development of sports, everything.

Seeing this achievement and development of my para sports, the government of India honored me with Padma Shri Award in the year 2021.

So I should thank the Government because I want to tell you this, I had not applied for the award.

And I did not go behind any politicians to…asking for my award.

My message to future citizens are…the future para sports persons are: Count your ability, not the disability, all things are possible.