New Delhi, August 31 ; His Excellency, Shri Pranab Mukherjee the President of India, today presented the coveted“Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Trophy” (MAKA)to the Guru Nanak Dev University for its all round best performance in sports for the year 2010-11 in an investiture ceremony held at Ashoka Hall of the Rashtrapati Bhawan here this evening.
Prof. Ajaib Singh Brar, Vice-Chancellor of the University and Dr. H.S. Randhawa, Deputy Director Sports of the University received this trophy for a record of 22 times. The award money of Rs. 10 lakh was also presented to the University by the President for the promotion and development of sports. Before the presentation of award, a citation was also read out depicting the commendable sports achievements of the University.
Principal (Dr.) B.B. Sharma and Principal (Dr.) Rekha Bharadwaj, respectively presidents of the University Sports Committees for men and women along with students representing sports personal were also present during award ceremony.
This trophy was instituted in 1956-57 as a running trophy by the Ministry of Education, Government of India in the name of first Union Education Minister, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad and is awarded by the President of India each year to a University which has all round best performance in sports at inter-university, national and international competitions.
Out of 38 years of its actual participation in inter-university and other tournaments, the Guru Nanak Dev University, has been winning one or the other positions for this trophy, since 1971-72.
Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Ajaib Singh Brar after receiving the trophy said that by winning this coveted“Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Trophy”for the 22ndtimes, the University has maintained its supremacy in the field of sports once again and described it as an unparallel and unique achievement of the University. No other university in the country could boast of such performance, he added.
While expressing his happiness, for this extraordinary achievement by the University, Prof. Brar said that this great honour is not only for the Guru Nanak Dev University alone, but it is also for the whole of Punjab and Punjabis. He, on this occasion, also congratulated its affiliated colleges, their principals, faculty, coaches, students and the University Sports Department for their sincere contribution.
He said that the University has been giving incentives, scientific training and provide state of the art sports facilities to their sports persons. He, on this occasion also assured that the University would provide more facilities in future to the players.
Meanwhile, the Director Sports of the University, Dr. H.S. Randhawa, Principal (Dr.) B.B. Sharma and Principal (Dr.) Rekha Bharadwaj, respectively presidents of the University Sports Committees for men and women while lauding the contribution of players for winning the trophy have also congratulated the colleges, their principals, faculty, coaches, students and the University Sports Department.
The Deputy Director Sports said that the University has produced six Padamshree, one Dronacharya Awardee, One Dhayan Chand Awardee, twenty-seven Arjuna Awardees and 44 Maharaja Ranjit Singh Awardees so far.
Besides, the University had won the Association of Indian Universities’ three prestigious trophies– Dr. BL Gupta General Trophy for 14 times, Osmania University Platinum Jubilee Trophy for 8 times and Kridmaharshi Shri Megnath Negeshkar Trophy for 7 times, he added.
He said that the University Grants Commission, on the basis of sports achievements and to give further fillip for producing athletes/players at the National and International levels, has created a centre of excellence at the University Campus.
He said that earlier, this University had received this prestigious running trophy for the year 1976-77, 1978-85 (7 times in a row), 1986-87, 1991-94 (three times consecutively), 1996-97 to 2000 (4 times in succession), 2001-02 to 2003-04 (three times in a row) and for the year 2005-06 and for the year 2009-10.