DIBRUGARH, June 30 � Pinky Karmakar, a teenage girl from Borborooah Tea Estate here, who represented the nation as one of the torch-bearers in the Olympic Torch Relay at Nottinghamshire in London, was accorded a warm welcome by members from the tea garden communities on her arrival at Mohanbari Airport today.
Pinky Karmakar (17), a grade X student from Borborooah, was received at the airport by hundreds of people from her community led by Assam Tea Tribes Students� Association (ATTSA). She was escorted to her home tea estate via Dibrugarh Sadar PS in motorcades and convoy of vehicles. Pinky later attended a special function at Borborooah playground hosted by ATTSA to honour and felicitate the young achiever.
Pinky, daughter of a painter father and green tea leaf plucker mother, was one of the 20 torch-bearers from various nations who participated in the relay on June 28. �I feel honoured and blessed to represent India for the world event. I am overjoyed and find no words to express by degree of happiness,� an elated Pinky told this correspondent after her arrival today.
Pinky is popular among her local people in Borborooah Tea Estate because she runs �Sport for Development� session of the Unicef for primary school kids. She also talks on social issues, including child marriage, alcoholism and adult literacy and highlights the importance of fitness for children�s development to parents of her locality in the evening hours. Pinky is part of the International Inspiration Programme, a sports legacy project of London 2012, run in partnership with UK Sport, UNICEF and the British Council.
The ATTSA leaders believe that Pinky�s achievement would inspire children to be dynamic torch-bearers of the society. �We feel proud about Pinky and we hope that she will remain as a model to inspire other children of the community,� Ashok Oraon, an ATTSA office-bearer, said.
