Former Indian cricket head coach Shri Gurcharan Singh has been honoured with Padma Shri award on the 74th Republic Day for coaching Delhi and Indian cricketers. Among other sports individuals who were accorded Padma Awards were Kalarippayattu exponent S.R.D. Prasad Gurukkal and Thang Ta guru K Shanathoiba Sharma.
The Awards are given in various disciplines and fields of activities such as art, social work, public affairs, science and engineering, trade and industry, medicine, literature and education, sports, civil service.
Gurcharan, 87, whose playing career couldn’t transcend beyond first class cricket, is known for having produced 12 international cricketers and over a hundred domestic players — from Kirti Azad to Ajay Jadeja, Maninder Singh to the more recent Murali Karthik, he had shaped their careers and touched their lives. He was also the second cricket coach in the country to win the prestigious Dronacharya Award after Desh Prem Azad, having won the honor back in 1986. Such was his impact on players that back in 2015, to mark his 80th birth anniversary, India and Delhi cricketers had got along to play a T20 exhibition match in the Indian capital.
Gurcharan Singh obtained a coaching diploma from the National Institute of Sports in Patiala and then joined the Sports Authority of India centre in New Delhi as the head coach. His notable coaching stints include his tenure with North Zone between 1977 and 1983, as Maldives’ head coach in 1985 and as the coach of the Indian cricket team from 1986 to 1987.
In 1992-93, he joined the Pace Bowling Academy as the director. The academy was jointly started by the Laxmibhai National College of Physical Education and the BCCI in Gwalior.
Singh founded the Dronacharya Cricket Foundation in Delhi apart from running two cricket clubs, Delhi Blues and National Stadium Cricket Centre.
Earlier this year, Gurcharan came out to bat during a friendly contest between Delhi Veterans cricket team and Old Patelians Cricket Association, with the legendary coach representing the Patelians.
Gurcharan Singh’s First-class stats
Matches: 37
Runs: 1198
Average: 19.96
100s: 1
Wickets: 44
Best Bowling Figures: 4/20
Kalaripayattu Veteran Sri SRD Prasad
Kerala-born Sri SRD Prasad is a master of the Kalaripayattu style of traditional Indian combat. In 2016 for his contributions to martial arts, he also received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award. The “ideal vehicle for physical fitness, self-defense, and mental agility” is described as Kalarippayattu by the author. For the Nalanda Dance Research Centre in Mumbai, Prasad also created the course syllabus for a Kalaripayattu-focused programme.
Maniur’s K Sanathoiba Sharma
K Sanathoiba Sharma, a recipient of the Sangeet Natak Akademi award, is a well-known instructor of Thang-Ta, the indigenous martial art of Manipur also known as the “Art of the Sword and Spear.” It combines the internal practise of physical control through delicate motions timed with the rhythms of breathing with a variety of exterior weapons—the sword, spear, dagger, etc. It is a part of Manipur’s rich heroic tradition. Because Manipuri society formerly lacked a weapon to defend its territory from invaders, Sharma views Thang-ta to be the foundation of Manipuri society.
