Sushil Kumar honoured with Rs 51 lakh

The Tribune's Delhi edition of 25 September 2012 reported the previous evening's joint civic reception at the Talkatora Indoor Stadium, where all three of Delhi's municipal corporations, the North corporation under Mayor Mira Aggarwal among them, honoured Olympic silver medallist Sushil Kumar with a cheque of Rs 51 lakh and a lifetime exemption from property tax on one residential property in his name.

The wrestler's speech, as the Tribune recorded it, turned the evening into a tribute to the municipal school system itself: it was there, he said, that wrestling became his passion and the foundation of his career was laid. He sought the blessings of his primary schoolteacher, Vinod Bansal, told the students present that respecting parents, teachers and elders is one of the important keys to success, and urged them to take up sports as a career.

Delhi BJP president Vijender Gupta lauded Kumar's contribution and thanked him for making the country proud. The programme closed with a cultural performance by municipal school teachers and students on the theme of promoting sport.