Former Indian shuttler Nirmala Kotnis wins APJ Abdul Kalam National Award for Sports

Nirmala Kotnis added another feather to her cap when the former Indian shuttler won the prestigious Dr APJ Abdul Kalam National Award. Former Indian team badminton player Nirmala became the first sportsperson to bag the award in its fourth edition.

The 44-year-old Nirmala Kotnis was honored in the "Senior Sports Personality of the Year" category for her overall contribution in the field of badminton and the arts.

Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Bharat Puraskar ceremony took place on June 26, 2021 in Mumbai. This award function was organized by Sonia Mayers of Swadeshi Runway, Make in India and supported by the Government of Maharashtra.

It was the fourth edition of this prestigious award ceremony. Other awardees this year included choreographer Sandip Soparkar and Bollywood actor Suchitra Pillai.

Nirmala, who is now Dr Nirmala Kotnis after her honorary doctorate, was thrilled to receive the award amid the raging pandemic.

Nirmala, who also does TV commentary for major badminton events, said:

“I was shocked and surprised at the same time to receive a call from Rakesh Poudwal from the Swadeshi organization a few months back. He broke the news that this year Swadeshi Runway has acknowledged me as one of the awardees. In the midst of the pandemic, this only came to me as a breath of fresh air and hope and happiness.”

Nirmala Kotnis was picked for the award for her excellent versatile personality

Nirmala was chosen for the award for her overall achievement as a sports person as well as a theater actress. During her playing career, Nirmala grabbed 22 national and international titles in badminton. She also represented the Indian team at the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games.

Post retirement from the game, she got into an acting career and succeeded in that too with two stage awards. She won awards for Radio Mirchi Serial and a state award as supporting actress in the film ‘Swarajya’.

“I was always interested in acting and tried that with quite a success. After that I became the only Indian expert with badminton leagues and Olympics with Star Sports as a commentator. I received an honorary doctorate degree last year for my work and achievements so far. Basically, it was my never-say-die attitude which made them decide over my name for this APJ Abdul Kalam Award,” said Nirmala.

The former shuttler now wants to foray into the coaching department and launch her academy in Nashik soon. Nirmala is currently an assistant general manager at the Ashoka Group of Schools, Nashik.

Nirmala concluded by talking about her upcoming plans for the academy:

“The most thrilling thing is that this award just came in when I am entering into a new phase with my academy NK Sports World. The proposed academy is not just for badminton but for all sports. It will also cover sports psychology, nutrition, strength and conditioning. I am lucky to get coaches and experts with a very good experience.”