Renowned former athlete PT Usha on Wednesday, 20 July, took oath in Hindi as a member of the Rajya Sabha. Usha, who redefined Indian athletics during the 1980s and 1990s, was nominated to the Upper House on 6 July by the central government.
Along with Usha, who hails from Kerala's Kozhikode, three others from the southern states, including iconic music composer Ilaiyaraaja, philanthropist Veerendra Heggade, and director Vijayendra Prasad were nominated to the Rajya Sabha on that day.
On Tuesday, 19 July, the athlete had met BJP president JP Nadda who congratulated her on being nominated to Rajya Sabha and wished her the best.
On the first day of the Monsoon Session of Parliament on Monday, 18 July, former cricketer Harbhajan Singh, former Bihar CM Lalu Prasad Yadav's daughter Misa Bharti, BCCI vice president Rajeev Shukla, and 25 others took oath in Rajya Sabha.
A Glimpse of Usha's Career
Popularly known as the Payyoli Express, Usha has won medals at various international sporting events, including the World Junior Invitational Meet, Asian Championships, and Asian Games.
She has been a role model and inspiration for lakhs of young girls across the country, who have dreamt of taking up a career in sports, especially in track and field events.
Usha became the youngest Indian sprinter to compete at the Olympics, when she took part in the 1980 Moscow Olympics at the age of 16. In the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, Usha finished fourth in the 400-metre hurdle event. She missed a chance to secure a bronze medal by 1/100th of a second.
After her retirement, she started the Usha School of Athletics, which has world-class facilities to train young and talented sportspersons.
(With inputs from IANS.)
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