Padma Shri awardee Anitha on cloud nine

Chennai

The Tamil Nadu-based player was conferred with the Padma Shri award – the fourth highest civilian honour – by the Government of India, alongside six other sportspersons from across the country. Having been overlooked for the Arjuna award on a number of occasions, Anitha couldn’t hide her happiness once the news broke out.

“I am delighted to have won the Padma Shri award. I can’t express my feeling in words. I have been playing basketball as a professional for a long time. I think that this is a reward for what I have achieved for the country over the years,” Anitha told DT Next.

Anitha, who took to the sport as a teenager, rapidly rose through the ranks and captained the national team. She led India to a silver-medal finish at the Asian Indoor Games in Vietnam in 2009. Two years later, India clinched the gold medal at the South Asian Beach Games in Sri Lanka under her leadership.

Anitha also helped India come first at the inaugural 3x3 Asian Basketball Championships in Qatar in 2013. Besides this, she has donned the India colours at quadrennial events such as the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games. “I had applied for the Arjuna award for about eight years. But, I never got nominated for it. So for the past two years, I applied for the Padma Shri award. I got a lot of backing from the basketball community. And, I feel elated after winning it,” she added.

Anitha said that the award would act as a source of motivation for up and coming talent in Tamil Nadu, especially young girls. “Although I was a national team player for a long time, I didn’t get enough recognition. Only when you are bestowed with awards like these, the general public will become aware of your achievements. I think that these awards will help grow Tamil Nadu basketball in the coming years.”

Anitha, who last represented the country in 2017, also expressed her gratitude to a host of people. “I am thankful to my family. Only because of it, I was able to move higher up the ladder and have a long career. Before marriage, my father and mother gave me full freedom. After marriage, I got a lot of support from my husband and in-laws.

“I am also grateful to my coach Sampath sir of Rising Star Club, well-wisher Suryavel sir and Khelo Masters secretary Purushothaman sir. I am thankful to the Tamil Nadu government, which strongly recommended me for the award. And, I can’t forget the support I have got from my employer Southern Railway.”