Kottayam: PT Usha might have hung up her boots long ago but she still commands plenty of power. BSNL felt the full force of her fury on Friday when the legendary athlete tweeted her disappointment with the telecom service provider.
"Disappointed with the service provided since last few months by @BSNL_KL," tweeted Usha earlier in the day. "My land-line & internet are giving me lot of trouble. Despite many complaints the problem is not resolved. If this continues, I will discontinue the number which is there with me since 1980 @BSNLCorporate," read the rest of her tweet.
It soon went viral and BSNL replied with an apology. But that wasn't all as Usha soon received calls from the Ministry of Communications and the CMD of BSNL. Within an hour, the landline issue was fixed.
“My son faced a lot of trouble with the broadband facility when he was preparing for his MD. I was so patient for a long time. But it was never rectified and I finally lost my cool,” said Usha, who was but all smiles by the evening after the matter had been resolved.
She says there are a few minor things to be done regarding the internet, but she is not concerned anymore as the service provider has assured to rectify it as early as possible.
Iconic number
For Usha the landline number has a certain emotional appeal as it is still being used by her mother, who isn't comfortable dialing on a mobile phone. "She gets worried when the phone isn't working and if she can't talk to me for days when I travel," said Usha.
The Olympian who is regarded as one of the finest track and field athletes the country has produced, has plenty of great memories associated with the number. "After I came back from the 1984 Olympics, the Railways helped to draw a line from Vadakara so that I can make ISD calls." The legendary sprinter had so nearly bagged India's first and ever elusive Olympic medal in track and field in 1984 when she missed out on a bronze medal by 1/100th of a second.
"Back then, no other household in the locality had a four-digit number. It was used by almost everyone in the neighbourhood when they had to talk to their sons or family members who were working abroad," Usha reminisced.
