President presents Arjuna awards

President A P J Abdul Kalam gave away India's most prestigious sports awards, including the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, at a glittering ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on Thursday.

As a proud Abhinav Bindra, recipient of the highest sports award in the country - the Rajiv Gandhi Khel - walked up to the President, dressed in formals, the grandiose Ashok Hall reverberated with applause from a crowd that included his parents, sister and grandmother.

The 20-year-old Bindra received a medal, a scroll of honour and a cash prize of Rs 500,000.

"I am very happy. This award has put more responsibility on me to excel and has given me the motivation to perform better in the coming international meets," Bindra said.

More awardees followed as the 14 Arjuna, two Dronacharya (2001) and three Dhyan Chand awards for lifetime achievement (2002) were given away.

Cricketer V V S Laxman could not come to receive his Arjuna award as he is currently in England. The only other sports person who failed to make it to the grand ceremony was hockey star Dilip Tirkey, who is with the Indian team in Germany preparing for the Champions Trophy. However, his uncle received the statuette, scroll of honour, ceremonial dress and a cash award of Rs 300,000 on his behalf.

Indeed, it was a moment of rare honour for the families of the sports persons; the grandparents especially found it tough to control their emotions.

Grandmother of former India hockey goalkeeper Ashok Dewan, one of the receipients of Dhyan Chand award, tried hard to hold back tears.

The Dhyan Chand award carries a cash prize of Rs 150,000, a plaque and a scroll of honour.

Sita Gossain, one of the most outstanding women hockey players, was modest in her hour of glory. She said she had been expecting the award in 1999, when the Indian team won the silver medal in Asia Cup in New Delhi.

"This time around I was only 50 per cent sure of winning the award. And it has made me very happy. It will motivate me futher to bring gold for India in the upcoming Asian Games," said Gossain, who looked smart in her maroon blazer and silk saree.

For Aparna Ghosh, who received the Dhyan Chand award for her achievements in basketball, it was a case of "better late than never". "Now I feel whatever I gave to the game I have got it back."

Baby-faced wrestler Ramesh Kumar said he expected the award after he won the gold at Junior Championships in Tashkent last year. He was patted on the back by former sports minister, now Minister for Aviation, Shahnawaz Hussain, who predicted he would go a long way and win more laurels for the country.