New Delhi, June 19 (IANS) Padma Shri and Paralympic gold medallist Praveen Kumar has revealed that one of his biggest goals outside athletics is to fulfil his father’s long-cherished dream of building a hospital, a project he hopes to complete by 2028.

The para high jumper opened up about the sacrifices made by his family during his sporting journey and how those experiences shaped his determination to give back.

Praveen said his parents never allowed financial hardships to become an obstacle in his pursuit of excellence.

“My parents never told me, ‘Son, don’t do this.’ They said, ‘This is your life. Live as you want. We are with you,” he said in an upcoming episode of the Quest Talk podcast by iQOO.

The Paralympic champion revealed that while he was growing up, his family quietly arranged funds to support his training and competitions but never let him feel the burden of their struggles.

“From the very beginning, my family never kept me behind for money. If you need money, we will give it to you with interest from anywhere; we will give you money. But they didn’t even tell me that they took it on interest. They said, okay, son, we have money. But they didn’t let me feel that we have taken this money on interest,” Praveen said.

He recalled learning about his father’s financial difficulties only after winning a silver medal at the Junior World Championships in Switzerland in 2019.

“When I got my first medal of 5 lakh rupees. This was my Junior World Championship. Switzerland. In this, I had won my silver. So then 5 lakh rupees came from there. I came to know that my father had a loan of 4 lakh something. So I took that 5 lakh and gave it to my father,” he said.

Praveen said his father was surprised when he offered the money.

“So my father was like, ‘ Where did you get this from? I told him everything. My father has a loan, right? He said, who told you? He said, no, no, it’s not that much. I said, no, it’s okay, keep it, it’s for you. So he finished all that, and his tension healed a little,” he added.

The athlete said a conversation with his father after winning silver at the Tokyo Paralympics in 2021 became a turning point in his life.

“He told me that I am very happy today. I have a lot of feelings, and I am very proud. Then they told me that I have some dreams. I am telling you this because you are equal to me. Today your son is equal to you. Whatever I do in my family, I earn money and bring it. You are doing the same,” Praveen recalled.

It was during that conversation that his father shared a dream he had carried for years.

“They told me that I have a dream to build a hospital. I didn’t think where will I get the money. 20-25 crores is easy. I said, okay, I will do it. This is what came out of my mouth,” he said.

Praveen revealed that work on the project has already begun in Jewar, near the upcoming airport, and most of the paperwork has been completed.

“I have started the work. Documents are complete. I think the first floor is going to be built. We are working in Jewar, near the airport. So this 20-25 crores outlay, maybe 30 crores,” he said.

The Paralympic champion said the hospital will be built with the aim of ensuring quality healthcare for people in the region.

“Once the patient goes inside, he won’t be told that he doesn’t have this. Everything will be fine,” he said.

Explaining why the project means so much to him, Praveen said it is rooted in a dream his father could never fulfil himself.

“My father had a dream from above. But he couldn’t open it. I am trying to complete this dream completely so that he is happy. So that he doesn’t have a dream that he couldn’t do this,” he said.

Praveen said he hopes to complete the hospital by 2028, the same year he is targeting another Paralympic campaign in Los Angeles.

“I will complete it by 2028,” he said.

–IANS

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