Delhi Dehat and the Delhi Jat Samaj hosted the two-time Asian Games gold medallist and Arjuna Awardee, with Cabinet Minister Ravinder Indraj Singh leading the tributes.
Delhi Cabinet Minister Ravinder Indraj Singh felicitated Pawan Sehrawat, the two-time Asian Games gold medallist and Arjuna Awardee, at a grand civic reception in the national capital on Sunday, 11 October. The ceremony was organised jointly by Delhi Dehat and the Delhi Jat Samaj, and Singh used the platform to argue that recognising accomplished athletes is a tribute to the country’s youth and its emerging sporting potential.
The event put one of Indian kabaddi’s best-known raiders at the centre of a gathering of the capital’s political and community leadership. In his address, the minister praised Sehrawat’s discipline and tenacity on the global stage and his contributions to Indian sport.
Singh’s speech leaned heavily on Sehrawat’s record with the national team. The minister recalled that Sehrawat captained the Indian men’s kabaddi team to gold at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China. He followed that with another gold at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, where he served as vice-captain and also carried the national flag during the opening ceremony.
According to Singh, those back-to-back triumphs brought immense glory to the country and continue to inspire millions of young athletes.
“Honouring Arjuna Awardee Pawan Sehrawat is an honour for the nation’s sporting talent and youth. He has enhanced the nation’s prestige through his extraordinary talent, discipline, relentless hard work, and indomitable will. His achievements are a matter of pride for the Indian sports fraternity and serve as a beacon of inspiration for youngsters to remain dedicated to their goals,” Singh said during the felicitation.
The emphasis on discipline and hard work ran through the minister’s remarks, framing Sehrawat less as a celebrity raider and more as a template for young athletes to follow.
The minister also underlined the grassroots character of kabaddi as an indigenous sport, saying that players like Sehrawat have taken traditional Indian kabaddi to global prominence. He tied that argument directly to Delhi Dehat, one of the two organisations behind the reception.
“Kabaddi is an integral part of India’s traditional sporting culture. Players like Pawan Sehrawat have provided this sport with a distinct global identity through their dedication and excellence. Delhi Dehat has consistently given outstanding sportspersons to the country, and felicitating such champions encourages the next generation to embrace discipline, fitness, and national pride,” Singh added.
The message was aimed squarely at younger players. In the minister’s framing, an event like this is as much about encouraging the next generation to take up the sport, and to commit to fitness and discipline, as it is about honouring a single champion.
The reception drew a long list of elected representatives. Member of Parliament Yogender Chandoliya attended, as did fellow Delhi Cabinet Minister Ashish Sood and North-West District BJP President Vinod Sehrawat.
Three MLAs were present: Kulwant Rana (Rithala), Gajendra Daral (Mundka) and Raj Karan Khatri (Narela). Municipal Councillors Anju Aman Dabas and Deepak Dabas were also there, among other community leaders.
The reports of the ceremony did not carry any remarks from Sehrawat himself, nor did they mention his next assignment on the mat. For now, the felicitation adds a civic honour from the capital to a career already marked by the Arjuna Award and two Asian Games gold medals.
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