Club throw silver medallist at the Paris Paralympics Pranav Soorma and his father Sanjeev have quite a few things in common, the most striking being their looks -- well-groomed beards complimented by their ponytail hairstyle.
Even in a crowd of a million, no one can miss the father-son duo, the 29-year-old in a wheelchair and the elder Soorma pushing it assiduously to keep his ward safe and secure.
The bond between the two is the reason Pranav, a quadriplegic, achieved glory in his debut Games with a throw of 34.59m in the F51 category.
Soorma was just 16 when a cement shed fell on him as soon as he stepped out of his rented house in Faridabad, leaving his spinal cord severely damaged and causing loss of movement in his legs and hands.
Even gripping the wooden club is a massive task for him and he has to use glue to hold it and compete in the event.
But with his father, who quit his job long back to tend to his son, by his side, Pranav is aiming for more glory at the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
"This was my debut Paralympics and, I think, this is a dream for any athlete to be a part of the Olympics or the Paralympics. Participating in these high-level games is in itself a very big thing and winning the medal is even bigger," said Pranav, a commerce pass-out from the prestigious Delhi School of Economics and an assistant manager with a nationalised bank.
He was speaking on the sidelines of a function organised by Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya to reward and felicitate the Paris Paralympians.
"So I consider myself very lucky to have worked so hard for so many years and finally that has paid off. We are working on the mistakes we might have made in Paris or a few things that were left behind."
"So, we'll work on that next time and we'll love to improve on that," said Pranav, for whom this is the second big medal following the gold at the Asian Para Games in Hangzhou last year."
The elder Soorma says the identical looks idea was his way of "inspiring" Pranav and showing he was always there for him.
"The hairstyle and beard was not like this before, but for the last 3-4 years I have gone with this look. When I am with my son, it gives inspiration to him and I am proud that my son has reached this level that the world knows me," said Sanjeev, adding the dup become the centre of attraction whenever they are together."
"Whenever we are together, people come to know that we are father and son (because of the beard and ponytail hairstyle). Both of us get a lot of compliments as well and people like clicking photographs with us as well," he said.
"I had to quit my job in a private firm because I had to be with Pranav all the time, take him for practice; we have been to several international events and I always remain with Pranav," added his father.
All these years, the family has had to make a lot of sacrifices but mother Deepika, who took up the responsibility of becoming the breadwinner after the mishap, said all the hard work has paid off.
"I was working at that time, when my husband quit his job. It was decided that my husband will take care of Pranav and I'll keep working. I'm managing that and Pranav has a grandfather also and he is a pensioner. So, we both decided we will take care of the household expenses," said Deepika.
Over the years, Pranav has learned to drive a heavily-modified car but his father always accompanies him to the Connaught Place branch of the nationalised bank and stays with him all day long.
"He (Pranav) goes to office in Connaught Place. Pranav can drive... he has a customised car and his father also accompanies him. Sometimes his father drives, sometime Pranav drives. But his father stays in office all day. Since we stay in Faridabad, it is financially not viable to drop Pranav in office and come back home," said his mother.
Pranav is exploring more options to study and grow academically in life.
"I think you shouldn't be just confined to one thing in life; you should be open to many other options. I personally believe that education is very important. No matter in which field you choose your career, you should have a good academic record."
"Though I believe that sports has become my profession, I'm still inclined towards academics and would like to move forwards in academics," added Pranav.
