Padma Shri para archer Harvinder Singh: Want to take my father and wife to Rashtrapati Bhavan

Hitting the bullseye has become more like a habit for para-archer Harvinder Singh. This can be said with much delight for the 33-year-old has this time hit a target that’s got him not just any other accolade but the fourth-highest civilian award in the country, Padma Shri.

What makes this honour more special is the fact that Singh is the first Indian para archer to get Padma Shri. Reimagining the moment in his mind when he received the joyous news, he shares, “On Saturday (January 25) afternoon, I received a call from the ministry informing and congratulating me for being awarded the Padma Shri. But, I didn’t tell anyone! I wanted to be sure that this was true, and waited till the evening when my phone started ringing with congratulatory calls and messages.”

“Par is sabse pehle maine apni missus (wife, Manpreet Kaur) ko yeh news de di thi. Usne kaha, ‘Mujhe jana hai apke sath Rashtrapati Bhavan, jab Padma Shri milega’. Jab maine apne father (Sardar Paramjeet Singh) ko bataya toh woh bhi bahut khush huye. Sach kahun toh mai apni wife aur father, dono ko Rashtrapati Bhavan leke jana chahta hun (I want to take both, my father and wife, to Rashtrapati Bhavan for the Padma awards ceremony). I’m hoping I don’t have to choose any one and I get to take them both to the award ceremony. Khushi hoti hai inko jab bhi mai batata hun ki mai kuchh jeeta hun,” says Singh, with a twinkle in his eye.

In his heart, this athlete born in a farmer’s family in Kaithal (Haryana) was quite “hopeful” and “expecting” the honour to come his way. From developing dengue fever at the age of one and a half – the treatment’s side effects led to a permanent disability in his legs – to winning bronze in 2021 Tokyo Paralympics and gold in Paris Paralympics 2024, his journey has been quite extraordinary. “Paris Paralympics se pehle Murlikant Petkar (Paralympic swimmer) pe bani movie Chandu Champion dekhi; bahut inspiring lagi. Para athletes ki life stories unique hoti hain. Meri life mein bhi utar-chadav rahe. Meri mother ka is duniya se chale jana, Covid ka time… Jab samay ayega toh meri story bhi logon ko inspire karegi,” adds Singh, when asked if he’s desirous of seeing a biopic on him.

But if given a chance to demand one thing from the government, then this PhD scholar in economics says, “Mai yehi mangunga ki jaise central government mein hai, waise sari states mein para para athletes ke liye policy barabar ki kardi jaye. This will benefit the future of emerging para athletes and will also improve India’s ranking in the world in the sphere of para sports.”