‘Whatever he pursued, he never thought he was less than others’: Harvinder Singh is India’s first para archer to get Padma Shri

In 1992, Dhanju was conscionable 18 months aged erstwhile helium suffered an impingement successful his near limb aft an injection by a section doctor. But that did not halt him from dreaming big.

It was portion watching the 2012 London Olympics connected TV that Dhanju’s involvement successful archery grew. Then a pupil of Punjabi University, Patiala, helium would attack coaches Jiwanjot Singh Teja and Gaurav Sharma and commencement archery successful compound category. He shifted to recurve archery successful 2015 and finished seventh successful the satellite para title successful 2017.

Para archer Harvinder Singh with PM Narendra Modi aft the Paris Paralympics. (Photo: PIB)

The adjacent year, helium became the archetypal Indian to triumph the rubric successful the men’s recurve event, successful the Jakarta Para Asian Games. In Tokyo, Dhanju won the bronze successful men’s recurve lawsuit with a 6-5 triumph implicit Korea’s Kim Min Su. He besides won the squad bronze successful Hangzhou Asian Games successful 2023. In Paris, Harvinder won the golden successful the men’s recurve last with a 6-0 triumph implicit Poland’s Lukasz Ciszek.

But, arsenic a arrogant Paramjeet Singh showed Dhanju’s medals connected a video call, helium besides spoke astir the pugnacious times. “Right from the time erstwhile the incorrect injection resulted successful impairment successful his leg, we did not fto Harvinder deliberation astir the impairment. Whatever helium pursued, whether studies oregon archery, helium has ne'er thought himself little than anybody other successful the world. When helium started archery astatine Patiala, helium would besides bring his bow and arrow to the colony and signifier successful fields…,” helium said.

“The Padma Shri grant is not lone a designation for his hard enactment and endowment but besides his persistence for perfection. He mislaid his parent successful 2018 and she would beryllium the proudest parent successful the satellite today.”

Coach Teja, too, believes the Padma Shri volition beryllium different measurement successful Dhanju’s travel towards perfection.  “I americium definite this Padma grant volition motivate him further to triumph his 3rd Paralympics medal successful Los Angeles Paralympics’” said Teja.

Dhanju dedicated the honour to his precocious mother, and his woman and son. “My parent Harbhajan Kaur ever believed successful maine and she would person been arrogant to spot maine getting the Padma Shri from the President of India. Apart from my begetter and sister Sandeep Kaur, my woman Manpreet Kaur and lad Waris Singh person been my pillars of strength,” helium said.