Just months after Indian para athletes created history by ending their Hangzhou Asian Para Games campaign with an unprecedented 111 medals, the biggest haul for the country in any major international multi-sport event, the Calcutta Sports Journalists’ Club was proud to present the Lifetime Achievement Award to Padma Shree Deepa Malik at the club’s annual awards programme in Mandarmani on Wednesday, January 24, 2024.
Deepa, the first Indian woman to win a medal in the Paralympic Games in 2016, lit up the evening in which a host of other star sports persons were also awarded.
Former World Billiards champion (1990) and chief national cuesports coach Mr Manoj Kothari also received the Lifetime Achievement award while Sourav Kothari, who clinched his maiden senior national snooker title, received the Best Sportsperson of the Year award along with shooter Mehuli Ghosh, who had earned a quota for Paris Olympics.
Bengal pacer Mukesh Kumar and wicketkeeper-batter Richa Ghosh were named as the best cricketers while Mohammedan Sporting Club’s David Lalhlansanga received the best footballer’s award.
The CSJC, in an effort to spread sports across West Bengal, decided to trade a different path and took their annual mega event away from Kolkata to the sea resort of Mandarmani for the first time. The Club made arrangements for the travel (both ways) along with food and lodging facilities for all at Mandarmani.
The next morning Ms Deepa Mallik and Mr. Yemi Odanye, Deputy Head of Mission, British Deputy High Commission, inaugurated a sports museum there.
Olympian Joydeep Karmakar, Chandan Roy Chowdhury, president, Bengal Para Sports Association, former India international footballer Dipendu Biswas, Indian Football Association (IFA) vice-president Swaroop Biswas, IFA’s former secretary Joydeep Mukherjee were also present on the occasion.
