NEW DELHI: When the recipients of the national sports awards were announced on Friday, Atanu Das initially refused to believe that his name figured among the Arjuna awardees. Once he cross-checked, tears flowed from his eyes. The entire family was jubilant as their Tollygunge home now has two Arjuna awardees under the same roof, with wife and former World No 1 recurve archer Deepika Kumari having won it back in 2012. A rare couple indeed!
The double-checking was done mainly after a fake list had emerged in 2016, when he had applied first, and he did not want a similar experience. And the celebration lasted long into the night with his mother and Deepika combining to rustle up a delectable pot of biryani. “I was quietly confident this time around after winning the Olympic quota but after 2016, did not want to take any chances.
The entire family started crying once the news got confirmed. It is pretty rare to find an active Arjuna Award winning couple so there was twice the joy. It makes me proud and gives me confidence ahead of a crucial couple of months. And to top it off, my favourite food was served. So could not be happier,” said Atanu. The 28-year-old said that responsibilities remain the same but the will to achieve them has definitely increased. Ahead of the national camp and the subsequent trials, he hopes the honour bestowed upon him acts like a catalyst.
“I do not think there will now be added pressure. I know what I must do, so the award does not change that. But obviously, now it has given me that extra bit of motivation to work harder and I’m looking forward to attending the camp in Pune and finally start shooting.” The camp will be held from August 25 to September 30. There will be a rehearsal for the award show on August 27 and finally the awards on August 29. The Kolkata part of the programme is scheduled to be held in Nizam Palace, a heritage building in the city.