Haldwani (Uttarakhand), Mar 22 (IANS): From a ten-rupee racket and painting walls for a livelihood till clinching a medal for the country and standing here to motivate youngsters, is a big achievement, said Tokyo Paralympics bronze medallist Manoj Sarkar here on Tuesday.

The Indian para-shuttler was interacting with over 300 children from 75 schools during yet another edition of the Meet the Champion programme at Lalit Arya Mahila Inter College.

Talking to students about the importance of eating right, the star shuttler said, "No food is good or bad, eating right just means controlled intake of food. It is also important to take on regular physical activities to digest what we eat, remember, Fitness Ki Dose, Aadha Ghanta Roz."

Inspiring students with his life story, Sarkar narrated how difficult things were for him when he started his journey as an athlete with a racket bought by his mother for ten rupees and how he realised that lack of proper diet was a factor behind his loss in the state-level competitions when he was just 18.

"I gave my hundred percent in these competitions but never understood the meaning of Santulit Aahar which is the main source of energy to perform the best in all fields," said Manoj.

Stressing on the importance of a balanced diet, Sarkar played some interesting animated videos focusing on the regular habits of eating and intake of all the nutrients sensibly.

Amidst the exciting interaction, students also shared their thoughts with the ace shuttler with various questions related to diet, fitness and sports.