On the day her coach, OM Nambiar, was named to the Padma Shri list, PT Usha described him as a "mentor" and "father figure" who helped her rise from obscurity and shine on the world's biggest sporting stages, including the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. Usha had called ‘Nambiar sir,' now 89, on Monday and had tea with him at his home in Payyoli.
“We had gone to celebrate my husband's niece's engagement. It happened near Nambiar sir's home. But I walked in. He insisted on having a cup of tea with me. I sat with him for a while, and he seemed content. He is now in his eighties and seldom leaves his house. But every time I see him, I relive a lot of memories. “We didn't find out he was a Padma Shri until we got home,” Usha said.