On March 8, centenarian sprinter Man Kaur was conferred the prestigious Nari Shakti Puraskar for 2019 for her exceptional contribution towards female empowerment.

The country’s highest civilian honour for women will be presented by President Ram Nath Kovind on International Women’s Day, Kaur’s 82-year-old son Gurdev Singh told PTI on Saturday.

“It is a matter of great pleasure to inform you that you have been selected for the prestigious Nari Shakti Puraskar, 2019, for your exceptional contribution towards women empowerment. The Puraskar carries an honorarium of Rs 2 lakh and a Certificate,” according to the letter received by Man Kaur from the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development.

“The award will be presented by the Hon’ble President in a ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhawan, New Delhi, on March 8, on the occasion of International Women’s Day…”

The 104-year-old Kaur won her first medal in 2007 at the Chandigarh Masters Athletics meet, in which she ran “for the heck of it” after seeing Gurdev, eldest of her three children, take part in a race in Patiala.

She shot to fame after winning the 100 metre sprint at the World Masters Games in Auckland in 2017 and holds several world records.

She also won four golds in track and field events at the World Masters Athletic Championship in Poland.

Dubbed the “Miracle Mom from Chandigarh”, Kaur had earlier said, “I will continue to run and take part in competitions as long as I can. It gives me a lot of happiness when I run.

First published by Business Standard on March 07 2020.

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