Page 11 - Mann Ki Baat English August 2023
P. 11

that we have won so
          many medals, so it is feeling
          very good that like Olympics,
          this too, is getting so much of
          encouragement.
              Modi ji : Well, Priyanka,
          congratulations from my side.
          You have made a big name, let
          us talk to Abhidanya.
              Abhidanya : Namaste Sir.
                                            and there was not that much
              Modi ji : Tell me about
          yourself.                         of information available. Hence
                                            my mother had a big dream…
              Abhidanya  : Sir I am from
                                            wanted me to represent the
          Kolhapur  proper,  Maharashtra,  I
          do both 25 metres sports pistol   country and then win a medal for
                                            the country. So to fulfil her dream,
          and  10  metres  air  pistol  events
          in shooting. Both my parents      I used to take a lot of interest in
                                            sports since childhood and then
          are high school teachers and I
                                            I have also done Taekwondo, in
          started shooting in 2015. When I
          started shooting, there were not   that too, I am a black belt, and
                                            after  doing  many  games like
          that many facilities available in
          Kolhapur. It takes one and a half   Boxing, Judo, Fencing and Discus
                                            throw, I came to Shooting. Then I
          hour to travel from Vadgaon to
                                            struggled a lot for 2-3 years and
          Kolhapur by bus, then one and a
          half hour to come back, and four   for  the  first  time  I  got  selected
                                            in  Malaysia  for  the University
          hours of training, so like that, 6-7
          hours for travelling and training,   Championship and I got Bronze
                                            Medal in that, so I actually got a
          so I used to miss my school too,
                                            push from there. Then my school
          then Mummy-Papa said that
          beta,  do one  thing, we  will  take   made a shooting range for me…I
                                            used to train there and then they
          you to the shooting range on
          Saturday-Sunday, and the rest     sent me to Pune for training. So
                                            there’s Gagan Narang Sports
          of the time you do other games.
                                            Foundation, Gun for Glory… I am
          So I used to play a lot of games
          in my childhood, because both     training under it now… Gagan
                                            sir has supported me a lot and
          my parents were very much
          interested in sports, but they    encouraged me for my game.
                                               Modi ji : Well, if  all four  of
          could not do anything, financial
                                            you want to say something
          support was not that much
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