Indian squash player Joshna Chinappa received the Padma Shri in the sports category from President Droupadi Murmu at a ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Thursday. Chinappa, a well-known squash player, won the bronze medal at the Asian Games in Hangzhou last year along with Tanvi Khanna and Anahat Singh in the team competition. With five Asian Games medals to his name, including silver in the singles event in the 2014 and 2018 editions. Joshna Chinappa is also a two-time Commonwealth Games champion, winning gold in the 2014 edition in Glasgow in the doubles event. Uday Vishwanath Deshpande, a renowned Indian teacher from the international Mallakhamb, received the Padma Shri award. “President Droupadi Murmu confers Padma Shri on sports department Shri Uday Vishwanath Deshpande. He worked to transform Mallakhamb from a local tradition into a world-famous sport. Shri Deshpande was instrumental in establishing Mallakhamb institutions across the country. And developing the curriculum and guidelines for Mallakhamb,” Rashtrapati Bhavan posted on X.
The 70-year-old has put a lot of effort into promoting the sport worldwide. In this traditional sport from the Indian subcontinent, athletes perform aerial and gymnastic maneuvers on a vertical pole. Additionally, Gaurav Khanna, India’s para badminton coach, was also awarded the Padma Shri award. “President Droupadi Murmu confers Padma Shri to Shri Gaurav Khanna in the field of sports. Gaurav Khanna is a para-badminton coach. He has contributed immensely to the promotion of Badminton among Divyanjan and established a residential badminton academy dedicated to divyang athletes,” Rashtrapati Bhavan posted on X.
He has mentored players such as Pramod Bhagat, Abu Hubaida, and Palak Kohli. people of Divyanjan. And he established a badminton academy dedicated to divyang athletes,” Rashtrapati Bhavan posted on X. Then he coached players like Pramod Bhagat, Abu Hubaida and Palak
