By IANS,
Chandigarh : With their son winning the first gold for India in the Olympics Monday, Babli and A.S. Bindra could not hide their joy, receiving congratulations from friends and relatives at their farm house near here.
“My son has proved that ‘Singh is King’ in a real sense. He has brought laurels for the whole Sikh community and for the whole nation,” said father A.S. Bindra.
The shooter’s beaming mother Babli Bindra added: “I had talked to him briefly yesterday (Sunday) afternoon. He was determined to hit the bulls’ eye this time. But still I was very nervous in the morning and was keeping my fingers crossed. Now I am trying his number but he must be busy as he is not picking the phone.
“We have not eaten anything except ladoos since morning as we did not get time to have our breakfast. Ever since the news broke that Abhinav won the first Olympics gold medal for India, all the phones at home have been ringing continuously.
“I had sent him an SMS in the morning, ‘Abhinav you can do it, go for it’, but I am sure he must have not seen it. On hearing the results, I was breathless and started screaming in joy,” a beaming Babli told IANS.
“He will return to India Aug 14 and we are going to receive him at the airport. I am anxiously waiting for that moment when I can hug him and congratulate him,” Babli added.
Like Abhinav’s last two Olympic outings, the Bindra family also planned to go to Beijing to see his performance, but they decided against it as they could not find rooms in any good hotel there.
“It has proved to be a blessing in disguise that we did not go there. I have also not talked to him for the last five days. Our presence at the venue could have put an unnecessary pressure on him and affect his performance,” said his father A.S. Bindra.
“Now I am just waiting for his return and then there will be a series of parties, celebrations, bursting of crackers and everything that I can do on this earth,” he said.
The Bindra farmhouse, on the Zirakpur-Patiala highway near Zirakpur town in Punjab around 15 km from Chandigarh, wore a festive look with relatives and family friends pouring in to celebrate the occasion.
Despite the heavy rain, everyone in the farmhouse was busy congratulating one another and in dancing to the tunes of popular numbers.
Sweets, especially ladoos, were being distributed to everyone coming to the house.