Paris Olympics 2024: India Men's Hockey Team ended it's 52-year wait for consecutive Olympic medals by winning the Bronze medal at Tokyo Olympics 2020, and now at Paris Olympics 2024. The team received a grand welcome at the Delhi airport and upon their arrival, the parents of the medal winners were interviewed.
One such interview has now gone viral, as Rita Upadhyay (mother of two-time Olympic Bronze medal winner in Men's Hockey) has urged PM Modi to award the hockey player the Padma Shri award, as he now becomes the first Indian ever to be a two-time Olympic medalist from Varanasi.
Watch the viral video here:
Rita Upadhyay's (Mother Of Lalit Upadhyay) Detailed Interview With ANI
The mother made several key points, stating the happiness and joy his son has given not just to them, but the entire area of Varanasi, as he has made the city proud with his iconic achievement.
Here's what she said:
"He gave me his medal and I felt a sense of achievement. I don't have words to express my emotions. Lalit has become the only double-medalist from Varanasi. Everyone present welcomed him so heartily, be it children or elderly people. The necessary preparations are in the process regarding whatever he likes in terms of eating, as his sister-in-law is making those preparations. We have even ordered a cake as well to celebrate his achievement."
"When I wore the medal, I started crying, because it was a moment of sheer happiness for me. The crowd and traffic doesn't concern me, because it is the love of the people and he is also 'Kashi ka Lal' (beloved son of Kashi region). The people of Bnaras have more on him than men, because I am his mother, so he will always stay with me, but those people don't get to see their beloved Lalit Upadhyay everyday."
"Blessings of Lord Shiva are always there with him, and with his belssings, he reached here. He has already won many awards, but I will urge PM Modi to award him the Padma Shri award. I want to see him receive the elusive award."