On Mother's Day, sports stars say 'Thank you, Maa' with special stories

NEW DELHI: Every mother is special, but some will feel a bit more special on this Mother's Day. Their star kids, who are often away representing the country in sports, won't be pampering them on video calls -- showing what they bought for their mom. There's a bigger and better gift for these mothers this time around. They will have their children right beside them, in some cases maybe after as long as a decade.
A pandemic-forced lockdown may not be the ideal way to get families together, but it's not something that's under human control.What's in your control is to stay safe at home, hug your mom and say 'Happy Mother's Day'. And those athletes in lockdown at the SAI centres across the country shouldn't feel disheartened. That they stay safe and healthy is also the best gift they can give their mothers.
It's difficult to sum up memorable moments spent with your mother in a few hundred words. It can, in fact, take a lifetime to put together the sacrifices of mothers, which they make only to ensure their children are always successful and in good health. But still, Timesofindia.com tried to put together some of those 'My Mom' moments of star athletes, which have always remained close to their heart.
SURESH RAINA (Cricket)
2011 World Cup Winner
Mother's Name: Parvesh Raina
"In 1998, when I went to the Sports College Lucknow, I took a sleeper class train ticket as we didn't have much money then. But my mother was very worried about my journey, and there were no cellphones during those days. 'Puttar, jadd tu ponch jayenga te mainu phone kari. Koi kuchh train vich khavaye te khana nahi, kise naal larna nahi. Mai tainu tiffin bana ke de rahi aa (give me a call when you reach and don't eat anything offered by anyone in train, don't fight with anyone, I have packed a tiffin for you)'. "
"From there, I used to write letters to my parents. The post used to come daily and I would stand outside my class to ask, 'Sir, chitthi aayi? (has the letter come)'. I would get a reply, 'Aa jayegi Suresh, pareshaan mat ho, sau baar poochh chuka hai (it will come, don't worry, you have already asked a hundred times)'."
"Agar maa hai to sab kuchh hai! (if you have mother, you have everything)"
"I also took her to Holland once and made her fly first class. I ensured one of my friends travelled with her and requested the airline to take care of her. The cabin crew cut a cake with her, saying 'aapka beta India ko represent karta hai (your son plays for India)'. She started crying, it was a special moment for her. She came and told me "puttar tera bara naam hai (you have made a name for yourself)". I told her it was all because of her blessings."
"I am lucky that I have my mom and dad with me. It's my biggest wealth."
NEHA GOYAL (Hockey)
Midfielder, Indian Women's Team
Mother's Name: Savitri Devi
"We are a family of three sisters. Since my father had a drinking problem, because of which he wouldn't come home for weeks or months, it was always my mother who would make ends meet by working for daily wages in factories nearby and also take up a job of domestic help. I still remember my childhood days when she would get paid Rs 4 for every 100 cycle spokes that had to be made by hand. It was a very difficult job. She would spend the entire day doing this and would end up earning Rs 1,000 at the end of the month to be able to send me and my sisters to school. "
"Those were real challenging times and my mother has been the centre of my world. It was because of her encouragement that I could pursue hockey. Today, thanks to the sport, I am doing well financially and I have ensured she doesn't have to work for daily wages anymore. Now, with my earnings, I wish to build a house for her."
SATHIYAN GNANSEKARAN (Table Tennis)
World No. 32, Men's Singles
Mother's Name: Malarkodi Gnanasekaran
"Stepping into our new house with her last year, I think, was very special. That day of entering the house together with her was one of the best moments of my life, it's very close to my heart. She was very happy and emotional. After (the death of my) father, it was very hard for her to leave the house that Dad had built. It was very emotional also because we named our house after my dad. She told me then that she wished he was also here with us."
"The most memorable sporting moment with mom by my side was during the Nationals when I beat Sharath Kamal for the first time. I was coming up as a player and Sharath was already established. It was 2015. My mother was there. I think it was the first Nationals she came after dad passed away. So when I beat Sharath in the semifinals, she was there. I ran to her and gave her a big hug. It was so special."
VIJENDER SINGH (Boxing)
2008 Olympic bronze medallist
Mother's Name: Krishna Devi (With his grandmother in image)
"Once I got a deep cut above my left eye just after I had started learning boxing. I was 14 or 15 then and needed three stitches to sew the cut. With one eye heavily bandaged, I reached home. My mother saw me and started crying, thinking I have lost one eye. 'Nobody is going to marry you now,' I remember her saying that. 'Fod di aankh chhore ki', she had said in Haryanvi. Then I took the bandage off a little and showed her that the eye was fine and the cut was on the brow. Then she was relaxed and brought me some milk, but also told me to leave boxing. I still remember all of it so vividly, it was such a moment of a mom's love and care for her child."
MANPREET SINGH (Hockey)
Captain, Indian Men's Team
Mother's Name: Manjit Kaur
"When my father passed away in 2016, I was playing the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Malaysia. I flew back home and the words that my mother said to me at that time will stay with me forever. When we returned from the crematorium, I sat near my mother's feet. She kept crying and in between said to me: 'Whatever has happened has happened. We can't change it. But your team needs you. So you must fly back and join the team. Your father had the same dream, that you play for your country and make us proud.' I will never forget that moment. She has been the rock of my life, supporting me in all my decisions. She means the world to me."
LOVLINA BORGOHAIN (Boxing)
World Championships Bronze Medallist
Mother's Name: Mamoni Borgohain
"In our house, there's myself, my parents and my two sisters. We always had a financial crisis. My dad used to do petty jobs in the fields. At times he wouldn't come home the whole month, and his salary was only Rs 2500. It was all my mom and dad had to run the house and fund the education of their three children. I still recall that my mom never used to complain or cry and ensured we completed our education. She knew the importance of that because she herself couldn't complete her studies. "
"She used to do small farming at home as well and I used to carry those vegetables to the market. At times some of my classmates used to see me selling vegetables and then they would tease me the next day in school. In such tough times, my mom never gave up. My elder sister now works in the defence forces. In our village, getting a job is a huge thing. I am also in a good space now. I won't be able to ever repay whatever my mom did for me. "Meri mummy meri life ki sabse important person hai (my mom is the most important person in my life)."
ELAVENIL VALARIVAN (Shooting)
World No. 1, Women's 10m Air Rifle
Mother's Name: Saroja Valarivan
"My mother has always been a working woman. She used to leave at 7 in the morning and come back at 8 in the evening and would be drained out by the end of the day. But she always made sure that she took out some time to spend with me. We used to cook together. She would tell me all her stories from her childhood days while cooking and the days when she came to Ahmedabad to pursue her dreams, the encounters that she had. I still remember one of the times, when I was studying for my 10th standard board exams. She made sure that I was best prepared for my science paper. She went through all the chapters, made me study everything, revise everything. So the person I am today is all because of the inspiration and the push she had given me to follow the things that I like."
SAKSHI MALIK (Wrestling)
Olympic bronze medallist
Mother's Name: Sudesh Malik
My mother is in a government job, but she didn't ever miss preparing my wrestling-specific diet before leaving for work and used to come straight to my training around 4 pm in the evening. During my Masters days, she used to gather notes from my friends as I was always busy in training. People used to say that this sport is not for girls, but my mother always stood for me. Whatever I am today, my mom has played a huge role in that. "
MANU BHAKER (Shooting)
World No. 2, Women's 10m Air Pistol
Mother's Name: Sumedha Bhaker
The 2019 Delhi World Cup was my first international tournament in India. The best part about it was that mom would come to the range daily, whether it was my practice day or match day, and bring home-cooked food for me. Right through my childhood, she has never allowed any negativity to touch me, even when people used to ask - 'why have you allowed your girl to play sports?' She has always been my shield.
SATWIKSAIRAJ RANKIREDDY (Badminton)
Commonwealth Games Gold Medallist
Mother's Name: Rangamani
Whenever she has come to watch me play, 95% of the time I have won, barring just one junior tournament, I remember. She came for the PBL finals, we won; she came for the Hyderabad Super 100, we won that, and similarly some state and national-level tournaments. But she is a government teacher with a lot of responsibilities. So at times she would say, 'There are hundreds of kids I have to take care of. If I come to watch you play, who will look after them?' But she is also always worried about me, whether I will be able to take care of myself, what if I get injured, did I have food on time? etc., but not as much about bhaiya (elder brother), basically, because I eat very little. She is the sweetest mother on earth.
ARPINDER SINGH (Athletics - Triple Jump)
2018 Asian Games Gold Medallist
Mother's Name: Harmeet Kaur
My mom is very cool, hardly gets angry ever. "Dost di tarah treat karde ne oh mainu (she treats me like her friend)". Going back five years, the financial condition at my home was not very strong. My father always told me that 'your mother is very fond of jewellery'. But she never even mentioned it, forget about making a fuss that she didn't have this or that. She knew that I was trying to make a career in sports, which also needed money. I feel good that I could do whatever I have done for them and made them proud.