Chennai: Ace paddler and Commonwealth Bronze medalist Achanta Sharath Kamal was felicitated by the Indian Oil for being conferred with the 4th highest Civilian Award of the Country, Padma Shri at IndianOil Bhavan, here.
Sharath Kamal has completed his 15 years long service with IndianOil. Executive Director (Regional Services), IndianOil Southern Region, S Senthilkumar, during the event said, “We at Indian Oil are overwhelmed and hugely happy as we celebrate the brilliant Padma Shri recognition bestowed on our ‘Sultan of Strokes’- Sharath Kamal. It fills all of us with immense pride that the 4th highest Civilian Award of the country has been awarded to an IOC ian who had done extremely well at national and international arenas.”
Many sportspersons from IndianOil Southern Region including Rushmi Chakravarthi (Tennis), Jaishree (Carrom), Shamini (Table Tennis), Mr. Ramesh (Carrom), Ms. Reeth Rishya (Table Tennis) and Ms. Parimala Devi (Carrom) attended the felicitation event.
“In 10th standard, I had to choose between table tennis and engineering. I’ve been quite fortunate that my family support was there. Financially, there were some issues, but then dad stood by me and said he will be with me with all his might to support the sport. It was the most important decision in my life. Since I decided that I wanted to play it professionally, there was a huge difference in my performance and my life too,” said Sharath while addressing the gathering.