CHENNAI: India is going for gold — first in the Olympics, and now in the Paralympics. And India Inc is cheering the champions with gusto.
When Avani Lekhara created history on Sunday by winning the first ever shooting gold for India in a para-sport, one of the heartiest congratulations on Twitter came from Anand Mahindra.
“A week ago, Deepa Malik (another athlete) suggested that we develop SUVs for those with disabilities like the one she uses in Tokyo,” he tweeted. “I requested my colleague Velu (senior VP R Velusamy), who heads development, to rise to that challenge. I’d like to dedicate and gift the first one to Avani Lekhara.”
He followed this up with a similar gift for India’s second Paralympic gold medalist, Sumit Antil. He then requested Mahindra chief design officer Pratap Bose to “design another Javelin edition of the XUV700 for this incredible sportsperson”. Mahindra had earlier announced a gift for Olympic gold medalist Neeraj Chopra too.
Fellow auto boss Rajeev Chaba, president & MD of MG Motor India, announced something similar. “MG stands for women empowerment,” he said. “We applaud (table tennis silver medalist) Bhavina Patel. It is our honour and privilege to gift her a customised SUV.”
Vikram Kirloskar, too, extended support to discus throw silver medalist Yogesh Kathuniya. The reason India Inc’s rousing toast to these athletes is interesting because it comes on the back of some inclusive changes in supporting para-sports.
Marketing expert Harish Bijoor explained opting for a para-sports star may actually make a great deal of sense. “We live in an era which believes in storytelling and there are very strong stories that these athletes bring to the party,” he said.
