What’s the story?
Disappointed after being overlooked for the prestigious Padma awards – India’s highest civilian honour – marquee doubles shuttler Jwala Gutta wonders what it will take to win the award. In a post on her Facebook page, the 33-year-old has voiced her grievance and asked if, after representing her country for more than 15 years and winning laurels, her credentials are still not good enough.
Gutta questioned why a sportsperson needs a recommendation in her elaborate post.
In case you didn’t know...
Eight Indian sportspersons made the cut for the Padma Shri this year, the complete list which was announced on Wednesday. Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli and hockey captain PR Sreejesh feature in it, along with Rio Olympic bronze medallist Sakshi Malik and gymnastics sensation Dipa Karmakar.
Discus thrower Vikas Gowda, para-athletes Deepa Malik, Mariyappan Thangavelu and blind cricket team captain Shekhar Naik too were in the list.
Gutta had been conferred the Arjuna Award, India’s second highest sporting honour in 2011 but has not been considered for the Padma award despite applying multiple times.
The heart of the matter
Jwala specifically asked if she is being left out each time because she is outspoken or opinionated as she cannot find any other reason for her exclusion. She has been a bronze medallist at the World Championships in 2011 with her former partner Ashwini Ponnappa. The two also went on to win a gold and a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games and broke into the top 10 in 2015.
She also tasted a lot of success in mixed doubles and reached as high as No. 6 in the world in partnership with V Diju.
Besides doing well on the international circuit, Jwala has been equally successful at home. She has been a 15-time national champion and has also been the first Indian to qualify for two events in Olympics. There is no doubt about her commitment to the sport and that she has been one of the best the country has produced.
Also Read: Pankaj Advani vents his anger after Padma Bhushan snub
And Gutta is not the only top athlete to have complained about the ambiguity of the process on social media. India’s greatest cue player, Pankaj Advani too has vented out his frustration after being ignored for the Padma Bhushan in spite of having an illustrious resume that shows 16 world titles and 2 Asian Games gold medals.
Sportskeeda’s Take
The country’s top athletes taking to social media to express their grief puts the entire awards system to shame. Both Gutta and Advani have tirelessly dedicated themselves to the country’s cause for years and have put India on the sporting map. Hence, they have every right to question their omission.
Someone like Jwala Gutta has been a pathbreaker for doubles badminton in India and has no dearth of experience at the highest level of the sport. It is utterly regrettable that she has fulfilled all the criteria for the awards through her myriad accomplishments yet has to constantly deal with the setback of losing out.
Recognition of their efforts can only motivate an athlete further and the support from home can inspire them to soar even higher. Let us hope that the government takes note of this and makes better decisions from now on.
