India: P. C. Chandra Puraskaar, the 28th edition of the annual national award from the P. C. Chandra Group was conferred upon one of India’s most iconic sports personalities Shri Kapil Dev. At P.C. Chandra Gardens, the award was given away to the 1st World Cup winning former captain of Indian Cricket team in the presence of Chief Guest, Shri Subrata Mukherjee, Cabinet Minister of the Govt. of West Bengal and Shri Uday Kumar Chandra, Managing Director, PC Chandra Jewellers along with other esteemed dignitaries. The award ‘P.C. Chandra Puraskaar’ carries an honorarium of Rs. 15 lacs, which is tax exempt.
Though the pandemic has decimated physical conferences and events, the Group conducted this ceremony in the presence of only few esteemed guests keeping in mind the current safety protocols and following all safety measures.
Kapil Dev Ramlal Nikhanj, popularly also known as The Haryana Hurricane is one of the greatest pace bowlers India has ever produced. From possession of several match-winning innings to becoming the country’s first captain to win ICC Cricket World Cup, 1983, is an evergreen achievement in India’s cricket history. He received two of India’s highest civilian honours the Padma Shri (1982) and the Padma Bhushan (1991) and was entitled as Wisden Indian Cricketer of the Century. Needless to say, the contribution by this legendary sportsman has pushed us several thousand steps forward to create the base of excellence in cricket that the country is today glorified for.
P.C. Chandra Group introduced this award ceremony in 1993 as a tribute to their founding father, late Shri Purna Chandra Chandra. P. C. Chandra Puraskaar has always recognized people from various walks of life who have achieved great heights in their respective fields like Shri. Manna De (1993) followed by Professor U R Rao (1994), Shri Sunil M Gavaskar(1995), Smt P.T. Usha(2004), Shri Mrinal Sen (2008), Gulzaar Saab (1997), Ustad Bismillah Khan Saheb (2002), Smt. Anju Bobby George (2007), Shri Sourav Ganguly (2011), Smt Hema Malini (2013), Pandit Hari Prasad Chaurasia (2014), Dr. K. Radhakrishnan(2015), Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand (2016), Noble Laureate Kailash Satyarthi Ji (2017), Dr. Devi Shetty (2019) and others n. The recipient list of P. C. Chandra Puraskaar has some of the most illustrious achievers from our country, each with outstanding contribution in their respective fields of art, culture, entertainment, sports etc.
Speaking on the occasion, Shri Uday Kumar Chandra, Managing Director, P.C. Chandra Group said, “Our annual award ceremony in reminiscence of our founding father late Shri Purna Chandra Chandra gives us the opportunity to honour veteran and multifaceted legends of our country. This year we are extremely proud and honoured to give away the P.C Chandra Puraskaar to Shri Kapil Dev. His stellar performance throughout the career span along with the extreme dedication, focus, vision and excellent leadership has made him an inspiration to the coming generations. My sincere thanks goes to everyone for organizing the event adhering to all the safety protocols. We wish to take this legacy of P.C. Chandra Group forward, celebrating excellence.”
“I feel great happiness and pride while receiving any awards. It’s even more special when your work gets acknowledged and you get respect. I have always enjoyed the game from my heart as I could express myself better through my passion without thinking of being rewarded. I sincerely thank P. C. Chandra Group for keeping the legacy alive on the memory of their founding father and felicitate Indian icons from various walks of life over the years.
It does not matter on what scale they are doing despite the challenging times, they are continuing the tradition and that’s what is more important and I feel honoured to be a part of this year’s P. C. Chandra Puraskaar 2021.”, said Shri Kapil Dev.