The President Ram Nath Kovind presented Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri Awards on 8th November 2021. Virender Singh, popularly known as Goonga Pehelwan was awarded the Padma Shri award by the President for his excellent wrestling performance in various tournaments. When the names of the Padma Shri winners were announced in January Singh had said, ‘My wife and son are very lucky for me. When I got married and had a baby boy, my life was filled with so much happiness and success. I hope that I keep winning medals for my country.’ Singh is the first from his community of Deaf athletes to win a Padma Shri. The President gave him the award recognizing his dedication to the field of wrestling and the hardship faced by him since childhood. 

This award is proof that Deaf individuals can achieve anything they set their mind to and are at par with their able-bodied counterparts. Apart from the Padma Shri, the Government has awarded him 4 medals. The Rajiv Gandhi State Sports Award & National Disability Award. In 2016, Virender was awarded the Arjuna Award for his stellar contribution to Indian Sports. Hearty congratulations to Singh and we hope he keeps making India and the Deaf Community proud.

Tags

• Virender
• Singh
• Goonga
• Padma
• Shri
• Award

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