The Double Bronze Medalist of Paris Olympics, 2024, Manu Bhaker, was felicitated by the Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways, Shri Sarbananda Sonowal on behalf of the entire seafarer’s community in Delhi today. Bhaker who is the daughter of a seasoned seafarer, was felicitated with a Phoolam Gamusa, a model ship and a cheque of ₹10 lakhs, from Indian Ports Association (IPA), in recognition of her outstanding feat of being the only Indian to win two Bronze medals in a single Olympics.
Manu Bhaker also interacted with young seafarers among others. The champion shooter shared how she imbibed the values of discipline, dedication and focus after being raised in a seafarer’s family. Sonowal also felicitated the Bhaker’s mother – Sumedha Bhaker – and her father – Ram Kishan Bhaker. Bhaker works as a Chief Engineer on a merchant navy ship.
Speaking on the occasion, the Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways, Shri Sarbananda Sonowal, said, “The phenomenal achievement of Manu Bhaker at the Paris Olympics signifies her perseverance and relentless strive towards excellence. She represents the undying spirit of India’s youth aspirations to aim for greatness and with a morale to achieve it. Manu Bhaker is an inspiration to all of us, especially for our young seafarers, as she rightly identified how she imbibed the values of discipline, dedication and focus from her family and during her growing up years amidst the seafarer’s community. Her words of inspiration for our young seafarers will boost their resolve to aim and strive for excellence in their chosen field of profession.”
Speaking on the occasion, Manu Bhaker said, “I have fond memories of sailing on ships during summer holidays with my father, mother and brother. Those journeys were more than just vacations as it enriched me with learnings from different languages, cultures, and ways of life. I struggled many challenges along the way, but they only strengthened my resolve. I believe in pushing beyond limits – ‘Go big, then Go Home.’ It is about giving your all, knowing that the journey itself is as important as the destination, something, I think, that is intrinsic to seafarers community as any seafarer could relate to it.”
Adding further, Shri Sarbananda Sonowal said, “Under the inspiring leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji, the government has undertaken many programmes to infuse spirit of excellence and curate an ecosystem for sports to prosper and deliver stupendous performance at the global level. This has helped many of our athletes. Modi govt’s unwavering commitment to celebrate and promote excellence in sports shall continue, recognising the invaluable contributions of athletes and maritime professionals in advancing the nation’s growth and development. I must thank Manu Bhaker ji for her recent performance at the Olympics as she becomes the only player to win two medals in the 10 Meters Air Pistol event. I also thank the parents of Manu Bhaker ji for their support in honing the wonderful skill that their daughter has honed to win laurels for the country. She is going to win many more medals for the country as she has the ability, potential, vision, dedication, devotion, commitment and hard work to shine again and again. For Manu ji, our country is and will always be proud of her.”
The event was also graced by the Secretary, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways (MoPSW), TK Ramachandran; the Joint Secretary, MoPSW, R Lakshmanan; the Chairman, Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), Vijay Kumar among others.
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