Queen of track & field, Pilavullakandi Thekkeparambil Usha better known to India and the world simply as PT Usha, along with music maestro Ilaiyaraaja, philanthropist Veerendra Heggade and spiritual leader, screenwriter V Vijayendra Prasad got nominated for Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.
Also, popularly nicknamed; Payyoli Express, she took an oath as a nominated member of the upper house of the Parliament in the ongoing Monsoon session.
She along with three others was nominated by the currently reigning BJP. They all were chosen as a part of the party’s outreach to the southern part of the country.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Tweets
On Wednesday, PM Modi tweeted “Glad to have met PT Usha Ji in Parliament” @PTUshaOfficial.
Post nominations Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted his praise for P T Usha. “The remarkable PT Usha Ji is an inspiration for every Indian.
Her accomplishments in sports are widely known but equally commendable is her work to mentor budding athletes over the last several years.
Congratulations to her on being nominated to the Rajya Sabha. @PTUshaOfficial,” tweeted PM Modi.
PT Usha: Background
Adoringly nicknamed ‘Payyoli Express’(even before the other epithets like Rawalpindi Express or Indian Express came into being) for her awesome speed, PT Usha hails from a small town Payyoli, Kozhikode district of Kerala. For people born in the 80s, nothing was more absorbing and enthralling than watching Payyoli Tevaraparampil Usha running a race. Such was the grace, speed and charisma of PT Usha.
For almost two decades, she remained the only ‘Queen of track and field’ of India.
Also arguably known as India’s first sports icon, she is seen as a person of great encouragement.
Especially in the 80s, such was her influence that people irrespective of gender, generation and profession adored and looked up to her. She was such a motivation.
In the 1986 Asian Games, she procured five medals, including four gold medals. She became an inspiration to all those women who wanted to make a victorious career in sports.
Usha rose to fame as a junior athlete in the National Inter-State Meet at Kollam, Kerala in 1978. However, her International Debut in the 1980 Moscow Olympics turned out uninspired. However, it did not deter her from her goal.
A passionate Usha was back on the fields of 1982 New Delhi Asiad. This time her labour and perseverance didn’t go in vain as she clinched a silver medal in 100m and 200m race.
Next year she also won a gold medal at the Asian Track and Field Championship held in Kuwait. Usha bagged the gold in the 400m race with a new Asian record. From 1983-89, Usha notched up 13 gold medals at ATF Meets (later rechristened as Asian Championship).
She made immortal achievements on the Sports Athletic track.
PT Usha Journey from tracks to Rajya Sabha
After the veteran athlete took her retirement in the 2000s, she was still never gone from the field. Usha School of Athletics based in Kinalur in Kerala’s Kozhikode, is the evidence for it.
The co-founder and president of the Usha School of Athletics, PT Usha works here to train the young girl athletes. Due to this, she has been making her presence with other trainees at the national track and field.
This school has ever since been making several national and international athletes.
Among all, Tintu Luka is the most renowned athlete of this school. The current 800 metres national record holder and an Asian Games medalist, is the most famous product of Usha’s athletics school.
PT Usha; Political Journey
In 2016, Her political journey kick-started when the political party at the centre Bharatiya Janata Party named her the chairperson of the organising committee of the BJP’s national executive meeting in Kozhikode. She had no prior experience or connections in politics before that.
Now post nominations for Upper House, “Elated by the wonderful wishes from all over India! Your support and faith in me will go a long way in shaping my journey forward from here. Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat,” Usha tweeted.
Adding on she also said that she would give her best for the upliftment and rise of all Indians.
