Smile Foundation organized a felicitation ceremony for Deepika Kumari, the XIXCommonwealth Games gold medalist in Archery. This felicitation ceremony was done at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata. Deepika Kumari is the second Indian to win this title after Palton Hansda who had won the World Championship at Mérida (Mexico) in 2006 by winning the junior compound individual gold medal.
Small children from Smile Foundation were delighted at meeting the gold medalist. They all got together to congratulate her with a small token of appreciation for being an inspiration to the community at large. Deepika herself comes from a very humble background in Ranchi, Jharkhand and thus set a perfect example for these children about overcoming difficulties of life with hard work and determination.
Speaking on the occasion Deepika very excitedly said “This is a wonderful experience. I am almost reliving my childhood days with these kids. I see the spark to excel amongst all the kids and I will be more than happy to be associated with them in whatever way I can.”