Her joy knew no boundaries after her son Suhas Lalinakere Yathiraj won historic silver after going down fighting against top seed Lucas Mazur of France in the men’s singles SL4 class final at the Tokyo Paralympics on Sunday.
With a grinning face, Jayashree C S, mother of Suhas told DH that her son has achieved what he had in his mind. "I am confident that his feat would inspire many persons with physical disabilities. He might have lost the final match but conquered the hearts of Indians through his fighting spirit. This is more important than a gold medal."
Sharing her thoughts with DH from Noida, in Uttar Pradesh, where her son is District Magistrate, she said Suhas is highly talented and a hard worker. He was good at academics and sports as well. Though he has an impairment in one of his ankles by birth, it never became a hindrance to his achievement in any field. He used to play cricket very well during his boyish days in Shivamogga. It was Gourav Khanna, coach, who observed his talent in badminton during the IAS training in Mussoorie, Uttarkhand, and asked him to practice every day. Since then, he was determined to win a medal in the Paralympics.
She said Suhas is highly dedicated and he had the urge to bring laurels to the country. He also had some luck. His perseverance and dedication were the key elements behind his success.
"He did not win the gold medal. But Prime Minister Narendra Modi's interaction with him has made me very proud. So, I have no regrets that he did not win gold."
She also made it clear he is reticent by nature. But he always wanted to inspire others through his deeds.
"I liked the final match which he lost more than the match he won because he flaunted his fighting spirit in the final."
Suhas has finally proved that success is not the monopoly of anyone. But one must have the determination to reach great heights in any field, she added.
Speaking to DH, Yogish, who played cricket with Suhas, in Shivamogga, said "We never felt that he has a physical disability. He was good at studies and sports. We used to fondly call him Prasadi. We are glad that he won a silver medal in Paralympics."
Suhas did primary education at Rotary school, secondary education at Sacred Heart school. After completing PU (Science) in DVS Independent College in Shivamogga, he went to the National Institute of Technology Karnataka, Suratkal, Mangalore, to pursue an engineering course. His father Yatiraj was an assistant executive engineer in Upper Tunga Project in Shivamogga and he breathed his last in 2005.
Since then, Jayashree has been staying in Shivamogga. Her younger son Sharath L Y is serving as a software engineer in Bengaluru.