Not even a Padma Award for India's first Olympic medalist, regrets son

Ranjit Jadhav, son of wrestling great Khashaba Jadhav, on Wednesday, sought the country’s highest civilian honour ‘Bharat Ratna’ for his late father. His father, the first Indian to win an individual medal at the Olympics (1952, Helsinki), did not even get a Padma award, Ranjit Jadhav said, noting that likes of TV producer Ekta Kapoor have got these awards.

Khashaba Jadhav died in 1984. His father was given Arjuna Award only in 2001, Ranjit told PTI from the family’s native village Gokuleshwar in Satara district of western Maharashtra.

“For the past 19 years, I have been trying my best to ensure that my father gets Bharat Ratna, or at least a Padma award, posthumously. My father died in 1984 and after 17 years was awarded with the Arjuna award,” he told

“My father won an Olympics medal in 1952. If you look at the list of award winners from 1954 to 1984, several sportspersons got Padma Shri, some got even Padma Bhushan, while few got all three (including Padma Vibhushan). However, there was no Olympian among them barring hockey wizard Major Dhyanchand and few other hockey players,” claimed Ranjit.