Who was the first recipient of Dronacharya Award in 1985?
- (a)O. M. Nambiar
- (b)Om Prakash Bhardwaj
- (c)B. B. Bhagwat
- (d)All of them
Correct — D, All of them. The Dronacharya Award — India's highest honour for sports coaches — was instituted in 1985, and all three named coaches were among its inaugural 1985 recipients: Bhalachandra Bhaskar Bhagwat (wrestling), Om Prakash Bhardwaj (boxing) and O. M. Nambiar (athletics, coach of sprinter P. T. Usha). Because each name is a genuine first-year awardee, 'All of them' is the correct choice.
- (a)O. M. Nambiar — A real 1985 awardee (athletics), but not the sole first recipient — choosing only his name is incomplete.
- (b)Om Prakash Bhardwaj — Also a genuine 1985 awardee (boxing), yet he was not the only one honoured that first year.
- (c)B. B. Bhagwat — Likewise one of the three 1985 awardees (wrestling), so naming him alone leaves out the other two.
The Dronacharya Award, instituted in 1985, honours outstanding sports coaches. It is named after Guru Dronacharya of the Mahabharata, the archery teacher of the Pandavas and Kauravas. In its very first year it was shared by three coaches from athletics, boxing and wrestling.
The word 'first recipient' tempts you to hunt for a single winner, but 1985 had three inaugural awardees together — so when each option is itself a genuine 1985 winner, 'All of them' becomes correct.
- Dronacharya Award instituted in 1985 — India's top honour for coaches.
- Named after Guru Dronacharya of the Mahabharata.
- First (1985) awardees: B. B. Bhagwat (wrestling), O. P. Bhardwaj (boxing), O. M. Nambiar (athletics).
- O. M. Nambiar coached the celebrated sprinter P. T. Usha.
All three shared the inaugural 1985 Dronacharya Award — hence 'All of them' is correct.
- Assuming only one person can be a 'first recipient' when several shared it
- Confusing the Dronacharya Award (coaches) with the Arjuna Award (players)
Recall of 'first recipient / year instituted' and matching each award to whom it honours (players vs coaches).
Consider the following pairs with regard to sports awards : 1. Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award : For the most spectacular and outstanding performance by a sportsperson over period of last four years 2. Arjuna Award : For the lifetime achievement by a sportsperson 3. Dronacharya Award : To honour eminent coaches who have successfully trained sportspersons or teams 4. Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar : To recognize the contribution made by sportspersons even after their retirement How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?
- (a) Only one
- (b) Only two
- (c) Only three
- (d) All four
Answer(b) Only two
UPSC 2023 tested the same award family, correctly pairing the Dronacharya Award with honouring eminent coaches.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The Dronacharya Award is conferred upon whom?
- (a)Outstanding players
- (b)Outstanding coaches
- (c)Sports administrators
- (d)Sports journalists
Answer(b) Outstanding coaches.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The Dronacharya Award is named after a guru from which epic?
- (a)Ramayana
- (b)Mahabharata
- (c)Rigveda
- (d)The Puranas
Answer(b) Mahabharata — Guru Dronacharya taught archery to the Pandavas and Kauravas.