New Delhi: Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Kiren Rijiju on Tuesday lauded Indian senior national women’s team midfielder Indumathi Kathiresan, who is serving the nation as a cop, saying that his ‘heart swells with pride’ when he sees players performing duties amid the coronavirus crisis.
Rijiju took to Twitter to write: “My heart swells with pride when I see our players like Indumathi who plays football for India and also perform duty wearing khaki uniform during #COVID19 pandemic!”
As the country is fighting against the COVID-19 crisis, Kathiresan is following a rigorous routine. She has to report for duty at seven in the morning, and has to keep patrolling the streets of Chennai till almost midnight every day.
My heart swells with pride when I see our players like Indumathi who plays football for India and also perform duty wearing khaki uniform during #COVID19 pandemic! https://t.co/DRyJKTyJZB
— Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) May 26, 2020
“It has been a difficult situation for the entire country. But taking the necessary precautions is paramount to the safety of one and all. We try to ensure that everybody is observing the guidelines and that nobody who does not need to be outside,” the All India Football Federation’s (AIFF) official website quoted Kathiresan as saying.
The Tamil Nadu Police Sub-Inspector said she has to play for the nation every day during these testing times caused by the coronavirus.
“It has been a demanding time for me personally. I have barely had the time to do anything else. In difficult times like these, you generally want to spend some time with your family, but I have not had much opportunities to do that. It is a call for the nation. I have to play for the nation every day during the COVID-19 pandemic, and I had to respond fast,” she said.
The midfielder further stated: “Our duty schedules keep changing. Sometimes we are on night duty as well, sometimes vehicle-check, and so on. Some of us like myself, have to travel long distances to our stations as well. It has been a difficult time. But I don’t have any complaints.” (ANI)
