India's badminton team wrote their name in the history book by claiming the country's maiden Thomas Cup medal on May 15. Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated players on a phone call right after the historic final. On that phone call, he requested Lakshya Sen to bring him a sweet dish when they meet after returning to India. On Sunday, PM Modi held an interaction with the Indian contingent of Thomas and Uber Cup, where Lakshya fulfilled his promise.
#ThomasCup2022 champ @lakshya_sen gifted Almora's famous 'Baal Mithai' to Hon'ble PM Shri @narendramodi ji during the team's interaction at his residence on 21 May. pic.twitter.com/3RnbfDGWol
— Harsh Sanghavi (@sanghaviharsh) May 22, 2022
"First of all, I would like to thank Lakshya for bringing Almora's Bal Mithai for me. I am so grateful that he remembered my little request and fulfilled it," said PM Modi.
Replying to this, Lakshya said, "When I won a medal in the Youth Olympics that was the time when I met you for the first time and today is the second chance I got to meet you. Whenever we get an opportunity to meet you, it boosts our confidence and we feel very motivated. Even after our phone call, it's a really great feeling for all of us. I am looking forward to winning more tournaments, meeting you and bringing Bal Mithai for you."
PM Modi further advised Lakshya to maintain his childish nature and keep on striving hard to achieve big goals ahead.
Later in a media interaction, Lakshya said, "He pays attention to small, small things. He knew that Almora's 'bal mithai' is very famous, so he had asked me to get it. I got it for him. And he also knew that my grandfather and father also used to play. These small things are very important. Such a big man is saying these things to you, so it feels very nice to talk to him,"
Lakshya defeated Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Anthony Ginting in the first match and gave India a strong start in the finals.
No Indian team has previously reached the final of the Thomas and Uber Cup in its 70-plus year history. Indian men reached the Thomas Cup semi-finals in 1952, 1955 and 1979 while the women's team made it to the Uber Cup top-four in 2014 and 2016.