Shivam Dube pledges Rs 7 Lakh at TNSJA Awards, boosts scholarships for young athletes

CHENNAI: Scholarships worth Rs 10 lakh were presented to 10 up-and-coming sportspersons from Tamil Nadu at the Tamil Nadu Sports Journalists’ Association (TNSJA) Annual Awards 2024–25, held at the MAC Stadium on Tuesday.

The event, hosted by Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA), saw young athletes presented with a memento and a cheque of Rs 30,000 each. But to everyone’s surprise, the occasion took an unexpected turn courtesy of CSK all-rounder and chief guest Shivam Dube’s spontaneous act of generosity. Moved by the moment and the young talent before him, Dube pledged Rs 7 lakh from his own end, ensuring that each awardee received a scholarship of Rs 1 lakh. He was responding to a request by V Baskaran, captain of India’s gold medal-winning hockey team at the 1980 Olympics, to increase the prize pool.

“These are the small achievements that help change your mindset,” Dube told the award winners. “I’m very grateful to have witnessed this initiative. I don’t know if other states are doing something similar, but I will definitely encourage them to adopt it,” added the CSK star, a T20 World Cup winner and Asian Games gold medallist with Team India, as he lauded the efforts of the TNSJA.

“Making the country proud is the best thing you can do. Receiving this scholarship is a small encouragement. When I was young, this amount would have meant a great deal to me. When you are struggling, every bit of support and every award counts,” Dube said, moments before announcing his surprise contribution.

KS Viswanathan, CSK Managing Director and CEO, who was a guest of honour, emphasised the franchise’s commitment to multi-sport development. “I want to confirm that CSK is committed to supporting and promoting not just cricket, but other sports as well,” he said.

RN Baba, Assistant Secretary of the TNCA and another guest of honour, shared how the TNSJA awards held personal significance. “There are two of these awards at my home—my son Aparajith and daughter-in-law Jayaveena have both won it in the past. The TNSJA is doing a wonderful job in promoting talent,” he said.

Also in attendance were former India all-rounder Robin Singh, MRF Pace Foundation head coach M Senthilnathan, former India hockey captain Mohammed Riaz, Tamil Nadu Tennis Association (TNTA) Joint Secretary Prem Kumar Karra, and TNTA CEO Hiten Joshi.

The TNSJA scholarship winners 2024-25

(Rs 1 lakh each): PB Abhinandh (table tennis), KS Vhenisa Sree (archery), Muthumeena Vellasami (para athletics), Shameena Riaz (squash), S Nandhana (cricket), P Kamali (surfing), R Abinaya (athletics), RC Jithin Arjunan (athletics), A Takkshanth (chess) and RK Jayant (cricket).