PANJIM: Bhakti Kulkarni expressed happiness on winning the Arjuna award having been in the chess field for over 27 years. She said it was a reward not just for her but for the State of Goa and it was great to be the first woman to do so. Chess, she said, was now getting the proper publicity and thanked everyone who helped her through the years like her parents, coaches, friends and the Goa government. This award she said belonged to everyone.
She said it’s great to interact with people like Brahmanand Sankhwalkar who was the first Arjuna awardee of Goa. “I always get inspired when he speaks; I am definitely not going to stop here and will work harder. The nationals are in December and before that I will attend the Arjuna award ceremony. I have been invited to the Tata steel, a prestigious tournament in Kolkata which will be held between Nov 29 and Dec 3. Because of the Arjuna award I will miss the rapid section and play the blitz section”.
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When she started at 4, she would go for tournaments and the organisers would request the mothers accompanying the players to play because the numbers were low but over a period of time the Government doing more for sports.
In August when India won the bronze in Chess Olympiad, the CM announced a govt job for her.
In addition whosoever won a medal in an international competition would get a job in the State government. She hoped Goa produced more sportspersons. She pointed out the role of the media in spreading awareness across the state. Speaking about sponsorship, Bhakti said earlier girls had a problem of travelling alone but now many sponsors were coming forward. She said, “I was fortunate when Srinivas Dempo supported me from 2008 to 2020. I was very fortunate. I think sports in Goa is really improving and I feel positive about the future”.
