Grand welcome awaits Olympics bronze medallist Sakshi Malik

A grand welcome awaits Rio Olympics bronze medallist wrestler Sakshi Malik when she arrives home on Wednesday, with hectic preparations underway to give her a rousing reception at her village Mokhra Khas in Rohtak district.

When Sakshi touches down at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi at around 3:50 a.m. tomorrow, as many as five ministers of the BJP Government in Haryana will be there to receive her.

Among the ministers who will be there to receive her include Kavita Jain, Rao Narbir Singh, Manish Grover and Vipul Goel, Director of Sports and Youth Affairs Department, Haryana, Jagdeep Singh Sheoran told PTI.

Haryana's Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Anil Vij, who was present in Rio as head of state delegation, will accompany Sakshi on the return flight.

"Aa rahi hoon main, apne des apne ghar! (I am coming back, to my country, to my home)," Sakshi tweeted on Tuesday.

She also posted on twitter the pictures of sumptuous breakfast which she had in Rio. "A proper breakfast! How I have missed you!," she tweeted.

Meanwhile, giving details of the grand reception planned for Sakshi, Jagdeep Singh said, "Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar will travel to Sakshi's village in Rohtak, where a grand felicitation function, in which we are expecting a public gathering of over 30,000, has been kept. Over there Sakshi will be honoured with a cash award of Rs 2.5 crore for her bronze medal effort by the state government."

Before she heads to Rohtak, Sakshi will be welcomed near the Delhi-Haryana border at Bahadurgarh where prominent sportspersons, senior officials of the state government, will receive her.

Along the way, Sakshi will make brief stopovers at a couple of villages in Rohtak district including Ismaila village where she will meet her maternal uncle.

With requests from several village Sarpanches along the way requesting that Sakshi make a brief stopover, the wrestler may take hours before she manages to reach Rohtak.

She will travel in a bedecked vehicle.

A few days back, Jagdeep Singh had visited the house of Sakshi Malik in Rohtak and congratulated her father Sukhbir Malik, mother Sudesh Malik and her coach Mandeep on her achievement.

In view of the Golden Jubilee year of the state, the Haryana Government is likely to announce many sops for the players.

Rohtak had erupted in joy and celebrations after Sakshi made Haryana and country proud by winning a bronze medal in wrestling at Rio Olympic Games. 

Earlier, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had called up Sakshi's father to congratulate the family for their daughter's historic feat at Rio Olympic Games.

A large number of people had flocked the wrestler's house in Rohtak to congratulate the family as the 23-year-old Rohtak girl scripted history by winning a bronze medal -- the first by an Indian woman wrestler.

Notably, Mokhra Khas village is also known as 'pehalwan village' (a village of wrestlers).