It’s been almost three weeks since Vijender Kumar, Sushil Kumar and Abhinav Bindra turned into national heroes following India’s unprecedented medal rush at the Beijing Olympic.
And just when you thought the euphoria may finally be dying down in this part of the country, where cricket and football are perennial fodder for sports lovers, India’s new posterboys Vijender and Sushil dropped in to a city school, and made fans and the media go crazy.
In a welcome break from the gruelling Singur deadlock, Beijing Olympic Bronze medalists Vijender and Sushil flew down the city this morning, and spent their entire afternoon at a little-known Purushottam Bhagchandka Academic School in Kolkata.
Their visit to the city finished with the state sports department felicitating the duo for their remarkable achievement at the Beijing Olympic.
After spending a while at the school campus ground with hundreds of children surrounding them, it was when Vijender and Sushil went about a stroll down the classes that the media ran amok.
The two guests were scheduled to visit a few classes and sit through them. But the entire exercise turned into a mess as shutterbugs and television crew jostled with one another for space, eventually cutting short the programme.
“It’s a very nice feeling to be here among so many children. We have been through so many programmes. But this one is special,” said an excited Sushil Kumar.
“I am thrilled to see so many children, fans and mediapersons turning up here just for us. It’s a special occasion for us and we will not forget it soon,” Vijender said just as he and Sushil were whisked away by the organisers to avoid media rush.
The day-long trip for the Bhiwani boxer and Najafgarh wrestler was organised by a share and securities management company. Although the duo maintained that they had a field day at the school, the media rush on their visit left a bad taste in the mouth.