The renowned instructor of Indian mythology, Dronacharya
In Indian mythology, Dronacharya is frequently regarded as one of the best instructors and represents commitment, self-control, and deep wisdom. His tale, which is mostly featured in the epic Mahabharata, is a fundamental part of Indian culture and history and exemplifies the virtues of responsibility and mentoring.
The Award of Dronacharya
The Dronacharya Award, which is the Republic of India’s honor for sports coaching, is formally known as the Dronacharya Award for Outstanding Coaches in Sports and Games. In the Sanskrit epic Mahabharata of ancient India, Drona—also known as “Dronacharya” or “Guru Drona”—is the name of the prize. As the royal preceptor for the Kaurava and Pandava princes, he trained them in military techniques and astras (Divine weapons) and was a master of superior military warfare. The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports bestows it once a year. It is also a one of the highest honors in Indian sports, recognizes the invaluable contributions of coaches who have dedicated their lives to the development of athletes.
The influence of Dronacharya extends beyond the Mahabharata and is still felt in contemporary Indian society. The Government of India established the Dronacharya Award in 1985 to recognize outstanding sports coaches who, like the renowned educator, mold future champions. One of the greatest honors in Indian sports, it honors coaches who make a major contribution to athletes’ growth and elevate the country.
The Dronacharya Award winners are honored for their unwavering dedication to developing skill, selflessness, and sacrifice. In addition to honoring Dronacharya’s principles, this award emphasizes how crucial mentoring is to attaining success.
Those who have performed “outstanding and meritorious work on a consistent basis and enabled sports persons to excel in international events” over a four-year period are honored to be chosen by a committee established by the Ministry. Two prizes are given for lifetime coaching contributions, which take into account the accomplishments of creating “outstanding sports persons” over a minimum of 20 years. As of 2020, the prize includes a ceremonial garment, a certificate, a bronze figurine of Dronacharya, and ₹15 lakh (US$17,000) in cash.
Since its establishment in 1985, the award has only been granted to the disciplines that compete in the Olympic, Paralympic, Asian, Commonwealth, World Championship, and World Cup games, as well as cricket, indigenous games, and parasports.
The deadline for submitting nominations for a particular year is April 30 or the final business day of April. After reviewing the nominees, a ten-member committee makes recommendations that are sent to the Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports for additional approval.
In 1985, the prize was first given to Bhalchandra Bhaskar Bhagwat (wrestling), Om Prakash Bhardwaj (boxing), and O. M. Nambiar (athletics). Usually given to no more than five coaches year, there have been two outliers (2012 and 2016–2020) where more honorees received awards in a single year.
A coach for the discipline for which they received their own award may also be nominated by the former Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna, Arjuna Award, Dronacharya Award, and Dhyan Chand Award recipients. When no such nominations have been received from the nominating authorities, the Government may designate up to two coaches in worthy instances. Nominations are accepted until the last business day of April, which is April 30.
Nomination
The Indian Olympic Association, the Sports Authority of India, the Sports Promotion and Control Boards, the state and union territory governments, and all government-recognized National Sports Federations submit nominations for the award. No more than two qualified coaches are nominated for each sport. In cricket, the Board of Control for Cricket in India receives nominations because the government does not recognize a National Sports Federation. On behalf of all National Sports Federations that have lost their recognition or are suspended, the Sports Authority of India (SAI) is permitted to submit nominations. A coach for the discipline for which they received their own award may also be nominated by the former Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna, Arjuna Award, Dronacharya Award, and Dhyan Chand Award recipients. When no such nominations have been received from the nominating authorities, the Government may designate up to two coaches in worthy instances. Nominations are accepted until the last business day of April, which is April 30.
Procedure for selection
Every nomination that is received is forwarded to the relevant National Sports Federations and SAI for confirmation of the claimed achievements. The doping clearance is issued by the National Anti-Doping Agency. Along with the former Dhyan Chand Award winners, any coach connected to a sportsperson who has been sanctioned or is under investigation for using drugs or substances prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency is not eligible for the award. The nominations are checked and verified by a committee made up of the Secretary and the Executive Director/Director (TEAMS) of SAI, the Director/Deputy Secretary of the Department of Sports, and the Joint Secretary.
A government-appointed selection committee reviews the legitimate nominations. The Ministry nominated the chairperson for this eleven-member committee, which also includes two Olympians, former Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna or Arjuna Award winners, three Dronacharya Award winners from various sports disciplines, two sports journalists, experts, and commentators, one sports administrator, the Director General of SAI, and the Joint Secretary of the Department of Sports. No more than one athlete from any one discipline is allowed to serve on the committee. Eighty percent of the weight is assigned to medals earned in different international competitions and tournaments in sports that are part of the Asian, Commonwealth, and Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games. 20% of the weight is given to the profile and grade of the competitions in which their trainees have taken home medals. Individual performances are taken into account for any other games that are not part of the Olympic, Asian, or Commonwealth Games, such as cricket and native games. The coach with the most points receives 80 points, while the other coaches receive points based on their maximum points. In team competitions, scores are assigned based on the team’s strength.
No more than two coaches—one male and one female—are awarded the top ratings for a particular discipline. Only the coach with the greatest total scores in a specific sport discipline may be recommended for the award by the committee; the coach with the highest scores across all disciplines may not be recommended. The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports receives the selection committee’s suggestions for additional approval.
List Of Dronacharya Award Winners 2024 :
Shri Subhash Rana
Shri Subhash Rana is para shooting coach . He was born on september 1978 . He has an Experience of more than 20 years in Coaching.
He is, a resident of Chilamu village in Nainbagh area of Uttarakhand, has been the coach of the para shooting team in the country. He has won four international gold and two silver medals. He participated in the World Shooting Championship held in Italy in 1994 and Spain in 1998. As a coach, he trained the shooting team that participated in the Tokyo Paralympics 2020. This team won five medals in the Paralympics. He has also recieved a warm welcome by members of the Mussoorie Sports Association on his arrival. He has also trained many oustanding para athletes including Manish Narwal, Rubina Francis , Singhraj , Avani Lekhara. Thes players have won medals at Paralympic Games 2021-2024 , world cups 2021-2024 , world championship 2022 , and Asian Para Games 2023.
Uttarakhand’s para shooting coach Subhash Rana was awarded the Dronacharya Award. President Draupadi Murmu honored him by giving him the award. There is a wave of happiness and pride across the state on him receiving the honor. On this occasion, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, Sports Minister Rekha Arya and other prominent people have congratulated Rana.
CM Dhami said that it is a proud moment for all of us that resident of Dev bhoomi , a para shooting coach Subhash Rana was awarded the Dronacharya Award. Congratulations and best wishes to him for this historic achievement.
In the recogonisation of his outstanding achievements in the field of Coaching, the Dronacharya Award fir the year 2024 is being conferred upon Shri Subhash Rana .
Ms.Deepali Deshpande
Ms.Deepali Deshpande is an Indian coach and former sport shooter.She was born on 3 August 1969 in Mumbai, India . Deepali started her coaching career in 2010 at the club level and then came in as a chief coach for the junior team in 2012, when the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) launched the junior coaching programme. She won a silver medal in rifle shooting at the 2004 Asian Shooting Championships in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and was selected to compete for India at the 2004 Summer Olympics, finishing nineteenth in the rifle three positions. Deshpande also served throughout her sporting career as a member of the Indian Shooting Federation under her coaches Laszlo Szucsak and Sunny Thomas. As a result of her wards’ achievements in prestigious international competitions, Kusale became the first Indian to place on the podium in the men’s 50-meter rifle 3-positions shooting event at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
In addition, Moudgil has had a highly successful shooting career, taking home numerous medals from major international competitions like the Commonwealth Games, ISSF World Championships, World Cups, and Asian Championships. The same is true for athletes who consistently win medals, such as Babuta, Sift Kaur Samra, and Shriyanka.
In the recogonisation of his outstanding achievements in the field of Coaching, the Dronacharya Award fir the year 2024 is being conferred upon Ms.Deepali Deshpande .
Shri Sandeep Sangwan
Shri Sandeep Sangwan is a renowned Indian field hockey coach from Haryana who was born in 1977. He began playing hockey as a child, first participating in gymnastics and then switching to hockey with his father’s help. In the middle of the 2000s, he made the switch from player to coach, and in 2010 he became the head coach of the Haryana men’s squad. Sangwan began his coaching career with the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) in 2006, and since then, he has helped develop more than 200 players who have played for different departments around India. Most notably, he helped many athletes get scholarships, which allowed them to progress in the sport. Haryana hockey had a sea change in 2011 when the team won the Senior National Championship under his direction. The squad won the senior national championship in 2022 and won their first gold medal at the National Games in Goa in 2023 under his direction. the team placed second in the senior national championships in 2023 and 2024. In 2024, Sandeep Sangwan received the esteemed Dronacharya Award in appreciation of his noteworthy achievements to Indian hockey.
In addition to his achievements as a coach, Sangwan is ONGC’s chief manager. Indian hockey, particularly in Haryana, has been greatly impacted by his commitment to the game and his role in developing talent.
Several well-known Indian hockey players who have attained great success have been taught by Sandeep Sangwan:
Sumit: A member of the Indian men’s hockey team that won a bronze in the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
Mandeep Singh helped India capture a bronze medal in the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
Gurjant Singh: Contributed significantly to India’s Olympic effort, which ended in a bronze.
Jarmanpreet Singh: Helped the Indian team win by representing them in a number of international competitions.
Sanjay: A young player who has competed for India in junior international tournaments.
Another talented athlete who has worn the national shirt in junior divisions is Abhishek.
These players have won medal at the Paris olympic Games 2021 and 2024 , Hangzhou Asian Games 2023 , Birmingham commonwealth Games2022 , and the other International Tounaments .
These athletes have not only competed for India on prestigious stages but have also played a key role in winning medals and honors for the country under Sangwan’s guidance. Their careers and the performance of the teams they have played for have been greatly influenced by his coaching.
In the recogonisation of his outstanding achievements in the field of Coaching, the Dronacharya Award fir the year 2024 is being conferred upon Shri Sandeep Sangwan
Shri S. Muralidharan
Badminton coach Shri S. Muralidharan was born in January 1945. Among the numerous exceptional athletes he has trained are George Thomas, Madhumita Bisht, and U Vimal Kumar. These athletes have won medals at the Welsh Open in badminton in 1988, the Asian Games in 1982, the Commonwealth Games in 1998, and the French Open in badminton in 1983 and 1984. He serves as the Vice President of the Badminton Association of India (BAI) and is the Chairman of BAI’s Technical Official Committee.
In recognition of his exceptional coaching and dedication to the sport, Shri S. Muralidharan was honored with the prestigious Dronacharya Award in the Lifetime Category in 2024.
Shri Armando Agnelo Colaço
Indian football coach Armando Colaço was born on June 22, 1953, inPanjim and he is presently the head coach of Sporting Goa in the I-League 2. In terms of titles won during the past 20 years, he is the most successful manager in the history of I-League team Dempo. He has also been the manager for the longest time. Having lost his father at a very young age, but never gave up on his ambitions of playing football, which he did right from a young age during his schooling at Don Boscos where Fr Joseph Casti and Fr Thomas, in particular, encouraged the footballer in the youthful Armando. According to Armando, it was Sir Edwin, Domnic, Wilson Paes, along with Fr Simon, Fr Edward and Fr Benedict who played an important role in his life as far as his early upbringing was concerned. Later in his life, his wife Juliana and daughter Genevieve have been his motivation and support.
Armando, who was nearing the end of his teens, took a career-changing step in the 1970–71 season when he was selected to play for Dempo for the first time. Coach Joseph Ratnam taught his wards how to play football with discipline. He had previously gained the requisite exposure with Don Bosco and Panjim Gymkhana. “That was a very important phase of my career as far as shaping the destiny of my football talent was concerned as I got picked for a big club – Dempo,” Armando recalled. Armando was a diligent player who worked hard until he hanged his boots in 1985, even though he made Dempo his home for the next 14 years before that.
Two guys, Agnelo Mascarenhas and Alberto Colaço, the current AIFF secretary, urged Armando, a State Kerkar award winner, to pursue a career in football coaching after he had to look beyond his playing days. And thus Armando the coach started a new adventure. The trainer from Curtorim volunteered to lead Salcete Football Club from 1985 to 1988, and he quickly led the team to a Stafford Cup victory. Sesa Goa offered Armando a one-year contract shortly after, which he gladly accepted. Under his leadership, the squad won the Vitthal Trophy in the 1988–89 campaign. Two guys, Agnelo Mascarenhas and Alberto Colaço, the current AIFF secretary, urged Armando, a State Kerkar award winner, to pursue a career in football coaching after he had to look beyond his playing days. And thus Armando the coach started a new adventure. The trainer from Curtorim volunteered to lead Salcete Football Club from 1985 to 1988, and he quickly led the team to a Stafford Cup victory. Sesa Goa offered Armando a one-year contract shortly after, which he gladly accepted. Under his leadership, the squad won the Vitthal Trophy in the 1988–89 campaign.