Abhinav Bindra turns 39: Nitin Gadkari and others send birthday wishes to India's Olympic hero

India's shooting legend Abhinav Bindra is celebrating his 39th birthday today, on 28 September. He has made a special place in sporting history after winning India's first individual gold medal at the Olympics.He won the medal in men's 10m air rifle at Beijing Olympics 2008 and ended India's excruciating wait for individual gold at the mega event.Born on 28 September, 1982 in Dehradun, Bindra was inspired by shooters he saw on television. His sporting career includes a World Championship gold and multiple medals at the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games.Through his long sporting career, Bindra was honoured with many national awards. He was awarded the Arjuna in the year 2000 when he was just 18-years-old. He was also given the country's highest sporting honour, the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award in 2001. He was then 19-years-old.As the years passed, Bindra was made an honorary Lieutenant Colonel by the Indian Territorial Army in the year 2011. Moreover, Bindra's autobiography titled ‘A Shot at History: My Obsessive Journey to Olympic Gold’, co-written with Rohit Brijnath, was released in October, 2011 by the then Union Sports Minister Ajay Maken.As the Indian shooter turns 39 today, wishes from all across the world poured in for India’s Olympic star.Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) Nitin Gadkari took to his social media handle and sent his wishes to the Gold Medallist. The former chief minister of Punjab Captain Amarinder Singh too wished Bindra on his birthday. He hoped that the Indian shooter would continue to serve and inspire sportspersons in the country. Maharashtra's Education Minister Varsha Gaikwad too posted her wishes for the gold medallist. She called him a true role model for the youth and asked him to keep inspiring the people in the world. Meanwhile, another Indian pistol shooter Anish Bhanwala wished Bindra on his special day. He termed Bindra to be an inspiration to millions of athletes like him and wished the star good health and happiness. Here are more reactions: