Arjuna off target again

Arjuna Awards and controversy seem to go hand in hand. The list released was the same as reported by this paper on Wednesday, and the baffli...

Arjuna Awards and controversy seem to go hand in hand. The list released was the same as reported by this paper on Wednesday, and the baffling announcements went with the names of Rajinder Singh, Bobby Aloysius, Akram Shah, Shokinder Kumar and Sanjeev Kumar.

At the end of the announcements, read out by Chairman of the Arjuna and Khel Ratna awards committee Major H P S Ahluwalia, questions were raised on the inclusion of sacked hockey coach Rajinder Singh and the omission of high-jumper Bobby Aloysius from the list.

Ahluwalia said that he and his committee members simply went by the information provided to them by the ministry. When reminded that Singh had been sacked because he was ‘unfit’ for the job, it was argued that the committee went by the recommendation of the IHF.

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Similarly, they could not explain away the selection of judoka Shah, wrestler Tomar and kabaddi player Kumar, though the interpretation went: judo is a popular game played in Asia and Akram has a few medals, including one at the Commonwealth Games, Tomar had won medals in ‘‘international meets’’ and Sanjeev had led the kabaddi team to a gold at Busan.

What was left unsaid was that things hardly change, whether you have people of eminence on the committee or otherwise.

THE LIST

Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna: Anju Bobby George

Dronacharya: Bobby George (athletics), Anoop Kumar (boxing), Rajinder Singh (hockey), Sukhchain Cheema (wrestling)

Arjuna: Soma Biswas and Madhuri Saxena (athletics), Pankaj Advani (billiards and snooker), M C Mary Kom (boxing), Koneru Humpy (chess), Rajesh Pattu (equestrian), Devesh Chauhan and Suraj Lata Devi (hockey), Akram Shah (judo), Sanjeev Kumar (kabaddi), R V S Rathore (shooting), Harbhajan Singh and Mithali Raj (cricket), Shokinder Tomar (wrestling), M S Rao (Paralympic Games).

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Dhyan Chand: Labh Singh (athletics), Hardyal Singh (hockey) and M D Parasuram (physically handicapped). Abul Kalam Trophy: Guru Nanak Dev University.