When dreams come true

Though the wait for the big moment seemed endless for the family members,tossing in their seats and raising their heads incessantly to see if they missed anything,the ceremony started on time. When Narangs name was announced for the countrys highest sporting honour,he walked up for the presentation with a head-held-high gait and,as his achievements were being listed,he closed his eyes briefly.

It gives me greater happiness that my family could see me receiving this award because at all other times when I win medals in competitions,they are not there to witness it, he said. But I cant afford to be too emotional. In every other sport,a racing heart and a beating pulse is an advantage. You can clench your fist,show aggression to motivate yourself,but in our sport you have to be calm,you have to control your emotions and be in sync with yourself.

Weighing each of his answers,he even instructed his mother light-heartedly to not reveal anything to the media hounds without his permission.

But not everyone could be in such perfect control of their emotions. Shooter Tejaswini Sawants mother spoke through eyes blurry with tears. Tears also rolled down shuttler Jwala Guttas eyes as she recounted how the announcement of her name in the awardees list helped her perform to her best at the World Championships in London earlier this month,which she said was her lifes best tournament.

Para-swimmer Prasantha Karamakar said he was humbled by his lifes journey,and the events that led him to the ceremony. Lekin sapna abhi poora nai hua hai… shayad 2012 mein ho jaayega (the dream is not fulfilled yet but perhaps it will be next year), he said,hinting at the Paralympics.

Birthday present

The emotions were at a different level for swimmer Virdhawal Khade,who turned 20 the day he received the award. Its my birthday today and there is no better place to celebrate it than the Presidents house,receiving an award from her. May my birthday prove to be lucky for me and bring me more awards in the years to come, he said.

The emotions did not dim footballer Sunil Chhetris sparkling wit. On being told he received the loudest applause,he quipped: Yeah,thats because I paid them all Rs 500 to do that for me.

Weightlifter Katulu Ravikumar,meanwhile,endured a brief moment of panic,realising at the dining hall after the ceremony that he was walking around with boxer Suranjoy Singhs award instead of his own. But the confusion didnt last too long,as Ravikumars trophy was found in the main hall.

Other awardees were kabaddi players Rakesh Kumar and Tejeswini Bai,whose achievements list did not have the blemish of a single second or third place finish,hockey player Rajpal Singh,long-distance runner Preeja Sreedharan,archer Rahul Banerjee,wushu player Sandhyarani Wangkhem,volleyball player Sanjay Kumar,wrestler Ravinder Singh and tennis player Somdev Devvarman.

The last could not attend the ceremony,however,because of the US Open starting Monday. Others who were unable to be personally present to collect their awards included cricketer Zaheer Khan (undergoing rehabilitation from his ankle injury),gymnast Ashish Kumar (training in London) and discus thrower Vikas Gowda (participating in the World Championships).