Friday, Aug 30, 2002
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By Our Special Correspondent
The Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award being presented to Abhinav Bindra by the President, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on Thursday.
The awards and the choice may have been under the microscope, and some of the selection may not pass muster, but there was no denying the fact that there was warmth all around, as the sports persons glowed with pride in front of the television cameras. "It is very satisfying. The wheel has turned a full circle. From playing at the highest level, to being a coach, it has been an honour to be associated with cue sport. I dedicate this award to those players whom I have had the privilege of guiding in the last few years," said the Dronacharya award winner, Michael Ferreira. The erudite Ferreira waxed eloquent on the need to have good coaches. "At the highest level it is all mental, and the coach plays a significant role." For Prof. Sunny Thomas, the other Dronacharya award winner, it was the culmination of a long wait. His wards have been stressing his value by winning more than 100 gold medals in international competitions. "I am very happy. It is the shooters who have got me this award with their outstanding performances." said Prof. Thomas, who savoured the moment with his family members in the hallowed precincts of the Ashoka Hall on this rainy day. The Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award recipient, Abhinav Bindra, the air rifle shooter, expressed his happiness and proud feeling, as he had done while receiving the Arjuna award last year. If anything, more than being recognition for his achievements, the highest sport award in the country would put a huge responsibility of fulfilling the Olympic dream on Abhinav. The 19-year-old assured that he would work harder than ever before in matching world standards, and live up to the stature of some of his predecessors--Viswanathan Anand, Geet Sethi, Karnam Malleswari, Kunjarani Devi, Leander Paes, Sachin Tendulkar, Jyotirmoyee Sikdar, Dhanraj Pillay and Pullela Gopi Chand. Women's hockey star Sita Gussain was at a loss for words, but her beaming face said it all. One of the finest midfielders in the world, Sita had the unique distinction of being mentioned about clinching the priceless Commonwealth Games gold recently in Manchester, in the brochure though the award was for 2001. "I am glad that I have got it," said Sita. "I am thrilled to get this award, after 28 years of association with the game. I am very happy to get the lifetime achievement award, and am pleased for Sita. I was equally happy last year when M.K. Kaushik and Pritam Siwach got the award," said Ashok Diwan, a member of the Indian hockey team that won the World Cup in 1975. Basketball players Parminder Singh and Aparna Ghosh were delighted at the game being recognised. "This award is very important for basketball," said the towering Parminder. "It feels great to get the Dhyan Chand award. I am only the second woman after Suman Sharma in 1981 to get the government award for basketball. It would have been better had I got the Arjuna award when I was playing. Anyway, the game is getting better," said Aparna Ghosh. For kabaddi player B.C. Ramesh, it was a happy thought that the rural game was getting continued recognition. "It is an inexpensive game, and has done the nation proud over the years," said Ramesh, who thanked everyone associated with the sport at every level for their contribution. Shooter Samaresh Jung said that it was nice to win the award, though it was not one of his goals. Wrestler Ramesh Kumar was overwhelmed to receive the Arjuna award. He said that with improved support to the sport, there was no reason why Indian wrestlers could not win in Asian Games and the Olympics. Tennis player Sandeep Kirtane said he would work harder with his trainees like Rohan Gajjar, and ensure that they were able to raise a lot more than what he could achieve. Shahuraj V. Birajdar was one of the three recipients of the Dhyan Chand life-time achievement award, which carried a cash prize of Rs.1.5 lakh. The boxer who finished fifth in the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games, Birajdar said that he had hoped to get the Arjuna award, but was equally pleased with the eventual recognition. The award for hockey player Dilip Tirkey was received by his uncle, while it was a surprise that nobody was there to collect the award for cricketer V.V.S. Laxman. Billiards player Shreekant Joshi, footballer Bruno Coutinho, rower Kasam Khan, volleyball player Amir Singh, yachtsman Lt.Cdr. R. Mahesh and physically handicapped athlete K.R. Shankar Iyer were the other Arjuna award winners. Delhi University won the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad trophy with 9820 points, as it comfortably beat Guru Nanak Dev University (6645). In a race among 274 Universities, in 60 sports disciplines, Delhi won nine, was runner-up in eight and finished third in three. The vice chairman of Delhi University, Mr Deepak Nayyar, the director of sports Dr J.S. Naruka and the Dean of Colleges, Dr (Mrs) Kiran Dutta, received the trophy, that was accompanied by a cash award of Rs. 2 lakhs. The Rajiv Khel Ratna award carried a cash prize of Rs. 5 lakhs and the Arjuna awards are worth Rs. 3 lakhs each.
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