Don't use my name to further propaganda and dirty agenda: Neeraj Chopra
New Delhi(PTI): Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra on Thursday said he was pained by the controversy surrounding his comments on Pakistani Arshad Nadeem using his javelin during the Tokyo Games and called the entire furore "propaganda aimed at pushing a dirty agenda."
The 23-year-old Army man, who won India's maiden Olympic medal in athletics -- a gold in Tokyo, said nobody should use his name to rake up any controversy.
"I would request everyone to please not use me and my comments as a medium to further your vested interest and propaganda," Chopra, who became only the second Indian to win an individual Olympic gold, said on his Twitter handle.
"Sports teaches us to be together and united. I'm extremely disappointed to see some of the reactions from the public on my recent comments.
"There was nothing wrong with Arshad Nadeem using my javelin to prepare, it is within rules and please do not use my name to push a dirty agenda," he added.
Chopra, in a recent interview, stated that he was searching for his personal javelin before his first throw during the Olympic final on August 7 and found Nedeem holding it.
According to rules, any javelin submitted to the officials by a competitor for his use can also be used by any other participant. This rule applies in all field events except for pole vault.
Chopra, who had used Valhalla version of Nordic brand during the final, made it clear that Nadeem, who had finished fifth, had not done anything wrong.
"A controversy (mudda) has come up that I had talked about taking the javelin from Pakistani participant Arshad Nadeem before my first throw in the final (on August 7). It has been made into a big controversy," Chopra said in a video clip posted along with his tweet.
"It's is a very simple thing, we keep our personal javelin (inside a holding rack) but it can be used by anybody. It is the rule and there is nothing wrong in that. He (Nadeem) was having the javelin and preparing for his throw. I asked him to give it to me for my throw.
"I am very sad that a big controversy has been created taking my name. We javelin throwers share a good bond and speak to each other nicely."
A former coach echoed Chopra's view.
"There is no controversy. It is not that you brought your personal javelin and nobody can use it. When you submitted it, others can also use it. Any participant can use any javelin which is there (in the holding rack)," he told PTI.
मेरी आप सभी से विनती है की मेरे comments को अपने गंदे एजेंडा को आगे बढ़ाने का माध्यम न बनाए। Sports हम सबको एकजूट होकर साथ रहना सिखाता हैं और कमेंट करने से पहले खेल के रूल्स जानना जरूरी होता है 🙏🏽 pic.twitter.com/RLv96FZTd2
— Neeraj Chopra (@Neeraj_chopra1) August 26, 2021
I would request everyone to please not use me and my comments as a medium to further your vested interests and propaganda.
— Neeraj Chopra (@Neeraj_chopra1) August 26, 2021
Sports teaches us to be together and united. I'm extremely disappointed to see some of the reactions from the public on my recent comments.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
How C.V. Raman’s Discovery is Saving Millions of Lives Today
Every year on 28 February, India celebrates National Science Day. It is the day we remember Sir C. V. Raman, an Indian physicist who made a discovery in 1928 that changed the world. He received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1930 for this work, becoming the first Asian to win that honour in science. The Government of India declared 28 February as National Science Day in 1986 to honour this achievement and to keep the spirit of scientific thinking alive in our country. This year, 2026, the theme is "Women in Science: Catalysing Viksit Bharat," reminding us that India's growth depends on every single mind, regardless of gender. But today, let us talk about something that most people do not know. The discovery Raman made while staring at the blue sea is quietly saving your life right now, inside hospitals and medical laboratories across the world.
Let us first understand what the Raman Effect actually is, in the simplest way possible. Raman noticed that when light passes through a clear material, a tiny portion of that light changes its colour slightly. Not much, just a little. In fact, only about 1 in every 10 million particles of light called photons changes. But that tiny change is enough to tell scientists exactly what a substance is made of. Think of it like a fingerprint. Just like no two people have the same fingerprint, no two molecules change light in exactly the same way. So when scientists shine a laser, which is a focused beam of light, on any material, they can read those tiny light changes like reading a name tag. This reading is called Raman Spectroscopy, and it is the most powerful identification tool science has ever created.
Now, why does this matter to a common person sitting at home? Because this technology has quietly walked into your nearest hospital and started doing things that were once considered impossible. Let us take cancer as an example. Detecting cancer early is the difference between life and death. Earlier, doctors had to remove a tissue sample, send it to a lab, and wait for days to get results. Today, Raman spectroscopy can examine living cells and tissues without cutting, without harming, without removing anything from the body. It reads the molecular fingerprint of the tissue and tells doctors immediately whether a cell is healthy or cancerous. This means faster diagnosis, less pain for the patient, and more time to begin treatment. For millions of families who have watched a loved one battle cancer, this is not just science. It is hope delivered at the speed of light.
The medical revolution does not stop at cancer. In pharmacies and drug manufacturing companies, Raman spectroscopy is used to check whether a medicine is pure and genuine. Fake medicines are a serious problem in India and across the world. People buy tablets trusting that what is written on the label is inside the tablet. Raman spectroscopy can verify this in minutes without even opening the packet. The laser passes through the packaging, reads the molecular fingerprint of the medicine inside, and confirms whether it is real or fake. This one application alone is protecting millions of people from consuming counterfeit drugs every single day.
In blood testing, in identifying kidney stones without surgery, in checking whether a wound is healing properly at a cellular level, in detecting early signs of diabetes through the skin without even taking a blood sample, Raman spectroscopy is showing up everywhere. Scientists and doctors are working on handheld Raman devices that a local doctor in a small town can use to diagnose patients on the spot, without needing expensive lab equipment or long waiting periods. In a country like India where medical infrastructure in rural areas is still developing, this could genuinely change how millions of people receive healthcare.
All of this began with one man refusing to accept a simple answer. Raman looked at the blue sea and asked why. That one question, followed by seven years of hard work, gave the world a tool that now fights cancer, catches fake medicines, and is slowly making quality healthcare reachable for every Indian, rich or poor, city or village. This National Science Day 2026, with its focus on women in science, is also a reminder that the next Raman could be a young girl sitting anywhere in this country, asking her own "why." The only thing she needs is for the world around her to stop saying "don't ask" and start saying "go find out."
(Girish Linganna is an award-winning science communicator and a Defence, Aerospace & Geopolitical Analyst. He is the Managing Director of ADD Engineering Components India Pvt. Ltd., a subsidiary of ADD Engineering GmbH, Germany.)
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views, policies, or position of the publication, its editors, or its management. The publication is not responsible for the accuracy of any information, statements, or opinions presented in this piece.
