Gaurav Gill Receives Arjuna Award For Outstanding Contribution In The World Of Motorsport

The Arjuna Award is the highest award a civilian in India can receive for achievements in sports. Motorsport in India has grown immensely over the last few years. However, India still lags behind in the arena of motorsport when compared to other similarly-developed nations across the world.

This can primarily be attributed to the perception of motorsport in the country. In the eye of the general public, motorsport is still perceived to be dangerous and only those with a deathwish participate in it.

Some members of the public even consider illegal street races to be a part of motorsport, which is far from the truth. Motorsport therefore lacks awareness and recognition. Racing events have been taking place in India since the early 1960s and Motorsport is a way of life for thousands in the country.

However, motorsport wasn't recognised as a sport by the Sports Ministry of the Indian government until 2015. It was only four years ago that the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI) was included in the list of national sports federations.

In such a scenario, the Arjuna Award being presented to Gaurav Gill helps motorsport in India get the recognition in India it so deserves. Gaurav Gill has had a motorsport career that many can only dream of.

Apart from the several small autocross events that we have lost count of, Gaurav Gill has had quite a few highlights in his motorsport career. 37-year-old Gaurav Gill has won the Dakshin Dare rally every single time he drove in the rally that stretches across South India.

He has also won the Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) six times. He has also won the prestigious Asia Pacific Rally Championship, three times. Gaurav Gill has now started participating in the World Rally Championship-2 (WRC2).

WRC2 is a companion rally series to the World Rally Championship and runs on the same stages as the full-blown WRC. Having grown to that level in India where motorsport is generally not encouraged, is without doubt a huge achievement.

With such achievements under his belt, the FMSCI has been nominating him for the prestigious award for three years now, and the Sport Ministry has finally recognised his achievements. This has resulted in the first ever Arjuna Award being awarded for contributions in the field of motorsport.

The Arjuna Award is a civilian award for outstanding individual achievements in national sports and is the highest a civilian can get. It is awarded by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports and comes with a certificate and Rs 5 lakh as a cash reward. A special ceremony was organised to recognise Gaurav Gill's efforts and he was awarded at the same event.

Thoughts On Gaurav Gill Receiving Arjuna Award For Outstanding Contribution In Motorsport

The Indian motorsport scene is growing at a rapid pace and Indian's are now participating in International events and even doing well in them. Gaurav Gill is an exceptional talent and certainly deserves the Arjuna Award.

He will be participating in Rally Wales GB, Rally Australia and Rally Turkey this year as part of the WRC2 series. We wish the best to Garuav. At the same time, it is time to acknowledge other Indians who have made a big impact in motorsport, even in International races.

Aishwarya Pissay, Aravind KP, CS Santosh, Rajiv Sethu, Ashish Raorane, Harith Noah, Arjun Maini, Armaan Ebrahim, and of course, Gaurav Gill are the personalities who are representing India at esteemed international races and rallies. They deserve some recognition too.