NRAI Overlooks Manu Bhaker coach Jaspal Rana and Swapnil Kushale coach Deepali Deshpande

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There can be no universal rule for doling out awards and rewards in sports. If that is the message the National Rifle Association of India wanted to convey at its awards function in New Delhi last week, the damn thing stinks.

At a glittering function where Manu Bhaker, winner of two bronze medals at the Paris 2024 Olympics was presented Rs 30 lakhs, Swapnil Kushale Rs 30 lakhs and Sarabjot Singh Rs 15 lakhs, there was loud cheer and applause.

Fantastic, well done, NRAI. To recognise the efforts of the shooters who won medals at the Paris 2024 Olympics in Chateauroux was defining, as the marksmen had drawn a blank in the two previous editions -- Rio 2016 and Tokyo, in 2021. For its part, the NRAI has also done well to give monetary awards to high-performance director Dr Pierre Beauchamp, foreign rifle coach Thomas Farnik as well as Samresh Jung and Manoj Kumar.

What brilliant work Manoj Kumar and Samresh Jung nobody knows but the whole thing reeks of bias. It is well known, that the coaches who worked hard, and put in a tireless effort to produce these medals were Jaspal Rana, Deepali Deshpande and to a large extent Abhishek Rana. One does not need to go through all the interviews of Manu Bhaker where she has lavishly praised coach "Jaspal Sir' for how he instilled in her a champion mentality.

For a girl whose life was in ruins after the 'flop show' in the Tokyo Olympics, her comeback was scripted by Jaspal Rana. She is already talking about preparing for the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028, where she will go for gold, and Jaspal will be part of the journey. That is the respect she has for the coach, who was bestowed the Dronacharya Award on the recommendation of the NRAI a few years ago.

Why is it, now, the NRAI looks at Jaspal as some kind of a villain? Yes, he was invited at the felicitation event but to not even place on record his efforts and present him a token cash award is shocking. Anyone who knows Jaspal will vouch he has never coached just for money.

To not have a work contract/employment with the NRAI or the SAI, for the last three years, he has led a quiet life. Even when he decided to take on the assignment with Manu in the summer of 2023, it was not for the lure of the lucre.

Passion, that burning desire to win medals for the country, that is what defines Jaspal Rana's contribution. Anyway, he has not even spoken about the cash awards or any other reward but people need to know he has been getting coaching assignments from Europe and is turning it down.

You will not find such passion in any Indian coach whose only desire is to give back to the sports. One quote of Jaspal which stands out, post success at the Paris 2024 Olympics is: "I just did what I can to help Manu, it was she who shot and won the medals." Maverick or mad man, think as you wish, this is what Jaspal Rana is, a mentor who is ready to guide anyone who will reach out to him. All he will expect in return is dedication and commitment.

Jaspal is not the lone case of a "personal coach" not being recognised by the NRAI. Can the apex body for shooting refute the contribution made by rifle mentor Deepali Deshpande, who is so special to Swapnil Kushale. The boy described Deepali as his "second mother."

This is the land which respects women, this is the land which treats women as a divine force, yet for the NRAI to divide and rule and not accord the same treatment to Jaspal and Deepali is pathetic. Last but not least, everyone knows, Sarabjot Singh owes his success to Abhishek Rana, who runs an academy near Ambala. He, too, does not exist for the NRAI.

It was due to the Indian Olympic Association President PT Usha's efforts, Jaspal Rana got his accreditation card for Paris 2024 and was also supported by the OGQ. Abhishek was cleared to travel by the TOPS (Target Olympic Podium Scheme) to Paris. Deepali did not want any such favour as she had trained Arjun Babuta, who finished an agonising fourth plus a few more rifle shooters as well.

As one who has been part of the previous Olympic campaign in Tokyo as a coach, Deepali knows what all politics takes place in the NRAI. To have invited Deepali to Delhi and not offered her a token reward was petty mindedness from the NRAI.

Strangely, Jaspal and Deepali are not even upset with all this. They believe in coaching, it's their karma. Yes, the onus is on the NRAI not to make differentiation between coaches. Please treat them at par. And do the foreign coaches/HPD, who are already paid whopping salaries in dollar equivalent worthy of cash awards? The answer is a 'no.'