Khel Ratna award is for people who called me weak, says Paralympian Devendra Jhajharia

How does it feel to be the first Paralympian to be honoured with the Khel Ratna award?

My life has been a struggle. But now I've realised that all the struggle that I went through is worth it, and that you will find a reward for it one day. That day has come for me.
I played for my country, I won for my country, I bagged medals at the Olympics for my country. In trying to do all this, I never lived properly with my family. Today, what has made me happiest is that I'm able to share this joy with my family. I'm celebrating an achievement for the first time with my family by my side.

You've earned this award after two gold medals at the Paralympics, in 2004 and 2016. Are you satisfied that your hard work over all these years has been recognised now?

It has come 12 years too late. I should have won this award 12 years ago. When I won the gold medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics and also broke the world record, I believed I deserved it that time itself. It would've been better had I been recognised back then. But better late than never, isn't it? I'm happy that I've been at least recognised with this award now.

You sound more relieved than satisfied...

Yes, I'm relieved that way. I want to thank the Government of India as well as the sports ministry, because for the first time, they have recognised the achievements of Paralympians in this country. This award will inspire all other para athletes in India, and every para athlete can dream of being honoured like this one day. So, I consider myself blessed to be the first differently-abled athlete in the country to have got the Khel Ratna.

From an eight-year-old kid whose left hand was amputated after an electric shock while climbing a tree to being recommended for the Khel Ratna, you've come a long way, isn't it?

(Smiles) As a child, I thought I had lost everything. After that, I struggled. After that, I became a world champion. After that, today I am India's Khel Ratna. Such has been my life!

But all through these ups and downs, one person's support was constantly with me: my mother. She was the one who encouraged me to take up sports after that accident. Which mother would ask her differently-abled child to take up sports in those times? But my mother took me out of my shell and pushed me to play sports. So, whatever I've achieved in my life is all because of my mother.

But when you started this journey, did you believe you could win two Paralympic gold medals and bag the highest sporting honour of the country?

Never. My target was not to be an Olympic champion. My target was to not be called weak. I didn't want people to label me 'weak' just because I was differently abled. Whenever somebody called me weak and said I wouldn't be able to do a certain thing, I wanted to do just that. That's why I took up sports. I wanted to be a world champion and tell those same people that, 'look, I've done it. I'm not weak.'

And there couldn't have been a better way of saying it than this award...

Absolutely.

You had thought of quitting the sport in 2009-10, and your category (F46) wasn't even part of the 2008 and 2012 Paralympics. How glad are you that you decided not to stop at that point?

Even my wife was a sportsperson (kabaddi player). When my event was scrapped for the (2012) London Games, I told her to continue pursuing her career in sports, and that I would quit playing and help her out. She sat me down, and said let's think about this for a while. After a few days, she came up to me and said, 'No, you should carry on playing. I will quit. Your event might be back in 2016. And if it does, I know you'll do very well'. From that point, she quit her sporting career, and I re-started mine. If it wasn't for her, I would've left the game at that time.

You've said you want to win a third gold medal at the 2020 Paralympics. Does this award motivate you further in striving for that?

Definitely. This only motivates me further. I just want to keep winning medals for my country, keep making India proud at the world stage. The job of giving awards is of the government, and it's good that they have given it to me finally. But with awards come more responsibilities. My country will only expect more from me now.

Do you also believe this award will change the Paralympics scenario in the country?

Of course. I believe this will be a big moment in Indian sports, not just Indian Paralympic sports. The fact that this is the first time a Paralympian is getting a Khel Ratna will be mentioned everywhere and will be remembered forever. This will only inspire other para-athletes to excel, and we will only produce better results from our Paralympians in the future.

Finally, what's your message to a number of differently-abled kids in India who wish to take up sports?

I want to tell them to never give up on anything. Never be bogged down by even the bad things that happen to you. You will have roadblocks on every path, but you have to fight them, and have the self-belief to overcome them. Once you do that, no one can stop you from reaching the pinnacle of success.

Jhajharia's medal cabinet

Paralympics

Gold: 2004 Athens
Gold: 2016 Rio
World Championships
Gold: 2013 Lyon
Silver: 2015 Doha

Asian Games

Silver: 2014 Incheon

DID YOU KNOW?

Devendra Jhajharia is the only Indian to win two gold medals at either the Paralympics or the Olympics