Indian rifle shooter and Paralympics double gold medalist Avani Lekhara, IAS officer and para-badminton silver medalist Suhas Lalinakere Yathiraj, and boxer and Olympic bronze medalist Mary Kom interacted with the students as they appeared on the eighth edition of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Pariksha Pe Charcha’ programme on Monday. “Consistency matters a lot. If you study daily with complete focus, you will be able to retain it. There are breathing exercises that help you maintain your heart rate and keep you calm,” Avani Lekhara said as quoted by DD. Further, the Paris Paralympics silver medallist Suhas Yathiraj encouraged the children to work hard in whichever field they are interested in.

“You should first ask yourself if you can achieve the top 5 per cent of whichever field you choose. Second thing, do you have the passion to pursue it? And if your heart says yes to it, then your parents will also agree to it,” Suhas said.

In the end, former boxing champion MC Mary Kom said that one should be strong if he/she wants to take up the challenges.

“If you want to take up challenges, you must be strong enough…I became a champion after facing many challenges. If I can do it, then why can’t you?” Mary Kom said.

The ‘Pariksha Pe Charcha’ episode was broadcast across platforms, including on the Prime Minister and PMO’s X profile and the PM’s YouTube Channel.

Since 2018, PM Modi has been hosting this annual event to interact with students, teachers, and parents, offering guidance on staying stress-free during exams. The event is organized by the Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education.

The first three editions of PPC were held in New Delhi in a town hall interactive format. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the fourth edition was held online in the form of a program telecast on Doordarshan and all major TV channels.

The fifth, sixth and seventh editions of PPC were again held in town-hall format at Talkatora Stadium, New Delhi.

One of the most inspirational stories in Indian sports arose during the Paris Paralympics 2024, when armless archer Sheetal Devi came into prominence. Then 17, Sheetal was regarded as one of the finest para-archers in the world despite not having arms, and backed up her reputation by winning bronze in the mixed team compound category at Paralympics 2024, alongside Rakesh Kumar. Industrialist and Mahindra Group Chairman Anand Mahindra had made a promise to Sheetal to gift her a car, and that has now been fulfilled.

After a bullseye hit by Sheetal Devi had gone viral, Anand Mahindra had posted on social media that he had promised her any car from the Mahindra range, which would be customised specially for her.

As per Mahindra, Devi had said that she would take the gift only after she turned 18.

Now, having turned 18 on January 10, Mahindra has seemingly lived up to the promise, as Sheetal was gifted a Mahindra Scorpio N SUV.

I have long admired @archersheetal ‘s talent from afar. Meeting her in person, I was struck by her remarkable determination, tenacity and focus.

Speaking to her mother and sister, it was clear that it runs in the family!

She gifted me an arrow, a symbol of her identity as an… pic.twitter.com/SFY8RCf6iM

— anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) January 28, 2025

“I have long admired Sheetal Devi’s talent from afar. Meeting her in person, I was struck by her remarkable determination, tenacity and focus,” Mahindra tweeted.

“Sheetal is an inspiration to us all, and I am proud to see her in a Scorpio N, a fitting steed for her as she continues to rise to new heights,” he concluded.

Sheetal caught the eye of one and all during Paralympics 2024 with her unique style of archery. Despite being born with a rare congenital disease called phocomelia, the girl from Jammu has become a superb archer.

At the time of the Paralympics, Sheetal was ranked as the No. 1 archer in the women’s open compound category.

Not only did she win a medal at the Paralympics, Sheetal is also the first and only international para-archery champion without upper limbs. She has also won two golds and a silver at the 2022 Para Asian Games.

File image of Hokato Sema.© ANI

File photo of Manu Bhaker with her Olympics medals© AFP

India’s para-athletes shattered the record books in Paris by delivering a performance of a lifetime, redefining the standard and raising the bar in the para-sports that will be seen as the benchmark in the coming years. The summer of Paris was one to remember for the Indian para-athletes and the entire nation. The magnitude of the success of the para-athletes in Paris echoed from Kashmir to Kanyakumari. In 12 days (August 28 to September 8), India made history by delivering a performance that will be remembered for years to come.

The Indian contingent rewrote record books after enjoying a historic Paralympics campaign in Paris with a record haul of 29 medals, including seven gold, nine silver, and 13 bronze, finishing in the 18th position.

India surpassed its previous most successful campaign at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, which saw them return with 19 medals, including five golds, eight silvers, and six bronze medals.

It was a campaign that gave a new ray of hope to the budding talents who remain keen to excel in their respective sports disciplines.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi felt the contribution of India’s para-athletes is more than medals. PM Modi said that he wants players to play more in Para-sports and get more medals and through them, create a cultural change in perception of specially-abled athletes.

“I want all specially abled people to be looked at with respect rather than sympathy and are considered no less than others. The fact that you are playing and sweating it out for your girl, this hard work will not go in vain. A new atmosphere is being made. Your contribution is more than a medal, you are producing belief in specially abled people that they are no less,” PM Modi said when he met the India contingent of Paralympics at his residence.

Even the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) president, Devendra Jhajharia, exuded confidence about the results that one can expect in the next edition.

During an event, Jhajharia didn’t hesitate to make a promise to the entire nation by saying, “We won’t stop here. Our mission is big. We have started preparing for the next Paralympics. I am confident that in the LA 2028 Paralympics, we will perform better. I promise everyone on behalf of the athletes that we will win at least 40 to 50 medals.”

But before we head towards the next edition, here is a look at the historic campaign, which began with Avani Lekhara opening the medal tally count.

In the Paris edition, a record 84 para-athletes represented India at the Paris 2024 Paralympics, and it was Avani who secured the first gold for the nation after dominating the final of the women’s 10m air rifle.

She notched up and sealed her place at the top of the podium with 249.7 points, which was also her personal best performance in the event. Her fellow compatriot, Mona Agarwal, snatched the bronze medal in the same event.

The third medal came from Preethi Pal’s third-place finish for the bronze medal after clocking 14.21s in the 100m T35 event.

The next medal came from Manish Narwal’s silver medal effort. He racked up 234.9 points in the men’s 10m air pistol SH1 pistol to book his place on the podium. He started the match on a good note, but in the middle, the Indian shooter dropped to the sixth. However, he didn’t lose hope and ended the event with a silver medal around his neck.

Rubina Francis continued the flurry of medals after finishing third and bagging a bronze medal in the P2 – women’s 10m air pistol SH-1 final.

Preethi got her hands on her second and India’s sixth medal in the Paralympics, in the 200m T-35 race, she delivered an eye-catching performance that saw her take away the bronze medal.

Athlete Nishad Kumar won the silver medal in the men’s high jump T47 event with a leap of 2.04m. Yogesh Kathuniya followed it up on the other side of the field and bagged the eighth medal for team India following his silver medal triumph in the men’s discus throw F56 final.

Shuttler Thulasimathi Murugesan lost to China’s Yang Qiu Xia 21-17, 21-10 and secured a silver medal in the women’s singles SU5. In the bronze medal match of the same category, Manisha outclassed Denmark’s Cathrine Rosengren 21-12, 21-8. The Indian player dominated throughout the match, securing another moment of glory for the nation.

In the men’s singles SL4 category, France’s Lucas Mazur completely ousted Suhas Yathirajwith a straight-set win in the gold medal match. The para-shuttler went down against the French player after enduring a 9-21, 13-21 defeat.

The 13th medal came from the Indian archer duo Rakesh Kumar and Sheetal Devi. The duo worked hard to clinch the bronze medal in the mixed team compound event with a 156-155 win over Eleonora Sarti and Matteo Bonnacina of Italy.

As the action shifted from the badminton court to the field of athletics, India javelin thrower Sumit Antil reigned supreme and successfully defended his gold at the Paris Paralympics with a record-breaking throw.

In the men’s javelin throw F64 final, the defending champion broke his record at the Paralympics twice to clinch India’s third gold in the marquee event in Paris.

Indian para-shuttler Nithya Sre Sivan clinched a bronze medal in the women’s SH6 category. She defeated Indonesia’s Rina Marlina 21-14 and 21-6 and got her first-ever medal at the Paralympics.

Para-sprinter Deepthi Jeevanji bagged the 16th medal for India as she won the bronze on Tuesday in the women’s 400m T20 final.

Para-athletes Sharad Kumar and Mariyappan Thangavelu booked a double podium finish for India in the men’s high jump T6 final.

With a leap of 1.88m, Sharad got his hands on a silver medal. His compatriot, Mariyappan, settled for the bronze medal with a leap of 1.85m. America’s Ezra Frech rewrote the Paralympic record to take away the gold with 1.94m, a blockbuster performance.

The double podium finishes continued to rain for India in athletics after Ajeet Singh and Sundar Singh Gurjar claimed silver and bronze medals, respectively, in the men’s javelin throw F46 event at Stade de France.

Sachin Khilari added a silver medal to India’s constantly growing medal tally after delivering a benchmark performance in the men’s shot put F46 final.

Sachin secured the second spot with a 16.32-metre throw, which is also the area best (AB). However, the Indian athlete was unlucky to miss the top spot after getting short of a 0.6m.

India discovered its first-ever archery champion across both the Olympics and Paralympics, with Harvinder Singh getting the top prize in the gold medal clash of the individual recurve para-archery against Poland’s Lukasz Ciszek.

Dharambir added the fifth gold medal in India’s tally by setting an Asian Record with an attempt of 34.92m to take the top honours in the men’s club throw F51 event.

As the game headed towards its climax, Pranav Soorma won the silver medal in the men’s club throw F51 event. He sealed the medal with a 34.59 m throw.

Judoka Kapil Parmar executed the Ippon in 33 seconds to end the contest and take the bronze medal within the blink of an eye in the men’s -60kg J1 event. Kapil’s triumph marked India’s 25th medal in Paris.

In the T64 high jump event, Praveen Kumar raised the tricolour high with an Asian record-breaking jump of 2.08 m, landing India their sixth gold. India finished the competition with seven gold medals, the nation’s highest at any Paralympic event.

The 27th medal was secured by Hokato Hotozhe Sema in the men’s shot put F57 final. Hokato recorded the best throw of 14.65m, his personal best attempt.

Simran Sharma delivered her personal best performance to get her hands on the bronze medal in the women’s 200m T12 final.

The final medal for India in the Paris Paralympics was the one to remember. In a nail-biting affair, Navdeep Singh’s silver medal was upgraded to gold after the initial winner, the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Sadegh Beit Sayah, got disqualified from the final. He had initially finished second with a personal-best throw of 47.32m.

Medalists at a Glance:

Gold: Harvinder Singh, Sumit Antil, Dharambir, Praveen Kumar, Navdeep Singh, Nitesh Kumar, Avani Lekhara

Silver: Nishad Kumar, Yogesh Kathuniya, Sharad Kumar, Ajeet Singh, Sachin Khilari, Pranav Soorma, Thulasimathi Murugesan, Suhas Yathiraj, Manish Narwal

Bronze: Sheetal Devi, Rakesh Kumar, Preethi Pal, Deepthi Jeevanji, Mariyappan Thangavelu, Sundar Singh Gurjar, Hokato Hotozhe Sema, Simran Sharma, Manisha Ramadass, Nithya Sre Sivan, Kapil Parmar, Mona Agarwal, Rubina Francis.

Navdeep Singh during a podcast© X (Twitter)

File photo of Navdeep Singh© X (Twitter)

Yogesh Kathuniya gave Prime Minister Narendra Modi a new title© IANS

Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Tuesday announced cash awards of Rs 75 lakh to the gold medallists, Rs 50 lakh for the silver winners and Rs 30 lakh for the Indian athletes who have won bronze in the just-concluded Paralympic Games in Paris. Those excelling in mixed teams events, like archer Sheetal Devi, will get richer by Rs 22.5 lakh. The minister announced this during an event organised to felicitate the medallists at the mega-event.

Mandaviya also pledged full support and facilities for para-athletes to aim for more medals at the 2028 Los Angeles Paralympics.

“The country is rising in Paralympics and para sports. From 4 medals in 2016, India have won 19 medals in Tokyo and 29 in Paris with 18th place finish,” Mandaviya said.

“We will provide all the facilities to all of our para-athletes so that we can win more medals and gold medals in 2028 Los Angeles Paralympics.” India concluded their historic Paris Paralympics campaign with 29 medals, including seven gold, nine silver, and 13 bronze medals, marking the country’s best performance in the competition’s history.

India also crossed the 50-medal mark in Paralympic Games history with their excellent performance.

Swarmed by hundreds of supporters, India’s Paralympic medal-winners returned to a jubilant welcome on Tuesday after securing the unprecedented haul in the French capital.

The men’s javelin throw F41 final in the Paris Paralympic Games earned India its 29th and final medal of the campaign, as well as the 7th gold medal, thanks to Navdeep Singh. Though the event ended on a controversial note, with Navdeep’s initial silver being upgraded due to Iranian athlete’s disqualification over the display of a flag, the India star was elated to put the Tokyo Paralympics ghosts to bed. After making history for India, earning first-ever medal in the F41 category of the Paralympics, Naval drew comparisons with India’s Olympics star Neeraj Chopra.

Neeraj had famously earned a gold medal for India in the Tokyo Olympics, before adding as silver to his trophy cabinet in the Paris Olympics. Seeing Navdeep bag a the yellow metal in Paris Para Games, his coach Naval Singh claimed that his ward’s technique is even better than Neeraj’s.

“I knew Navdeep was going to make me and India proud. He has done a lot of hard work. Navdeep ki technique Neeraj Chopra se bhi behtar hai (Navdeep’s technique is even better than Neeraj Chopra’s). If he were in able-bodied athletics, he would have done wonders. But we are all proud of Navdeep. This is just the start for him-he is going to break several records,” Navdeep’s coach told Times of India.

Navdeep also lauded his coach for the work the two put together over the years, finally reaping the rewards in Paris Paralympics.

“My coach, Naval Singh, has worked a lot with me. He has trained me for almost seven years. He has played a big role in my career. Whatever I am today, it’s because of him. He has made me an international-level javelin thrower. All the credit for my technique and foundation goes to him,” Navdeep said.

Navdeep Singh’s technique compared to Neeraj Chopra’s© X (Twitter)