August 19, 2019
Huge honour for para badminton player Pramod Bhagat who has been
awarded the Arjuna Award for 2019. Pramod, who is from Odisha, has been
performing consistently well at all international events. But the para
badminton fraternity is questioning why their head coach, Gaurav Khanna,
widely credited for India’s success in the game, has not been
honoured.
With over 240 medals over four years in national and international events,
India is now a presence to be reckoned with on the para badminton scene. A
remarkable achievement in such a short span of time with para shuttlers like
Pramod Bhagat, Manoj Sarkar and
Palak Kohli just among a few who are likely to make a mark
in the 2020 Paralympics.
With a gold in the Men’s Singles Category in the Second Fazza Para
Badminton International 2019, Pramod has qualified for the
Paralympics next year. Winning the Arjuna Award for the year
has come as the icing on the cake.
It’s a special moment for Pramod from small town Odisha who was left with a
disability after a polio attack at the age of seven. He is among five
para-badminton players to have been shortlisted by the Mission
Olympic Cell of the Sports Authority of India ahead
of the Tokyo Games. The 29-year-old has creditedGaurav
Khanna, Head Coach of the Indian para badminton
team for his success.
In an interview to NewzHook shortly after he won the Ireland
championship earlier this year, Pramod called Khanna a friend and teacher. “I
am very fortunate to have in Coach Khanna someone who is a friend as well as
a great teacher. We share a good equation and I can talk to him about
anything. He gives me great advice.”
But the news of the award was bittersweet for Pramod as his tweet indicates.
Best moment of my life. I always was dreaming about this but it was very
disappointing that my Coach Gaurav Khanna was not considered for the Drona
award. No one deserves better than them. I appeal to Honourable Minister
Kiren Rijiju to show justice! – Pramod Bhagat, Para badminton
player, Team India
The disappointment over Coach Khanna’s exclusion from the list of
Dronacharya awardees has been voiced by many. Given the key
role he has played in nurturing and guiding Indian para shuttlers and
building the team, the failure to recognise him with the outstanding coach
award is shocking. In no other sport is India shining as brightly today.
Other shuttlers too have shared their disappointment. Manoj
Sarkar, winner of the Arjuna Award in 2018, even called it an
injustice. “Its injustice for para sports. We are incomplete Arjuna without
our Drona Gaurav sir. Non other coach including able-bodied coaches work as
hard as he is doing for us. It was supposed to have been given to him along
with me last year”.
Manoj has tagged Minister of State for Sports Kiren Rijiju
as well as the Prime Minister’s Office in his tweets.
Khanna, who is currently in Switzerland for the world championship, was not
available for comment. Given the consistently brilliant performance being put
up by our para shutters, these voices are likely to grow.
ALSO READ:India’s para badminton players show their mettle in the Asian
Para Games
