| In a record
show, 33 chess players formed the longest list of sportspersons from a single discipline,
in the special awards show organised by the Sports Ministry at Vigyan
Bhavan, Delhi on June 5, 2000. Huge monetary awards from the
Government bodes great news for up and coming chess players all
over the country, including those who are on the fringe to take a big
plunge into the game. Among those who took the award in person included
the highest FIDE Rated women player S Vijayalakshmi and the Andhra
prodigy Koneru Humpy.
Due to the ongoing National "A" chess championship in Mumbai, Grandmasters Dibyendu Barua,
Krishnan Sasikiran, Abhijit Kunte besides Pravin Thipsay, who was named among the coaches, could not make it.
Though it was meant to be one
"big" day for the massive list of 149 sportspersons and 18 coaches who had brought glory to the country in
the international arena for the past two years, the presentation ceremony
lacked the glamour that goes with big money. The lesser known among the awardees were
greaty excited on this day when these special awards, amounting to a whopping Rs 1,72,49,000, were
presented by the Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports and Mines,
Mr Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa. However, the Minister himself observed
candidly, "I don't see the officials of the sports federations..., it is a sad sign for Indian
sports,". Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports Mr Sayed Shahnawaz Hussain
was also present.
The list of Awardees
|
P Harikrishna (Rs. 120000)
|
K Sasikiran (Rs. 137500)
|
G B Prakash (Rs. 87500)
|
|
Abhijit Kunte (Rs. 87500)
|
Safira Shanaz (Rs. 50000)
|
S Kidambi (Rs. 50000)
|
|
Abhijit Gupta (Rs. 50000)
|
Bhagyashree Thipsay (Rs. 150000)
|
Sandipan Chanda (Rs. 25000)
|
|
Saptarishi Roy (Rs. 15000)
|
Koneru Humpy (Rs. 70000)
|
D V Prasad (Rs. 37500)
|
|
Shankar Roy (Rs. 50000)
|
S Vijayalakshmi (Rs. 80000)
|
Anup Deshmukh (Rs. 50000)
|
|
Swati Ghate (Rs. 100000)
|
Atanu Lahiri (Rs. 200000)
|
Deepan Chakraborty (Rs. 45000)
|
|
Tania Sachdev (Rs. 30000)
|
Mary Ann Gomes (Rs. 25000)
|
Sanatan Dutta (Rs. 20000)
|
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Aarthie Ramaswamy (Rs. 100000)
|
Pallavi Shah (Rs. 80000)
|
C Delphin (Rs. 20000)
|
|
M R Venkatesh (Rs. 20000)
|
Krutika Nadig (Rs. 15000)
|
Soumya Swaminathan (Rs. 15000)
|
|
P Konguvel (Rs. 50000)
|
Eesha Karavade (Rs. 20000)
|
Tejas Bakre (Rs. 200000)
|
| Dibyendu Barua (Rs. 200000)
|
V Saravanan (Rs. 50000)
|
Neelotpal Das (Rs. 50000)
|
|
