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Devoid of honour, Ludhiana world amateur chess champion looks up to government for change
But soon Arvinder Preet Singh of Ludhiana realised that being a chess champion, his accomplishment or skills were not enough to checkmate his struggles as he was bereft of opportunities promised to him, and began running from pillar to post to land a job in the Punjab Police
Having emerged as the World Amateur Chess Champion four years ago, Arvinder Preet Singh, 40, had only one thing on mind – making a career around the game.
But soon he realised that his accomplishment or skills were not enough to checkmate his struggles as he was bereft of opportunities promised to him, and began running from pillar to post to land a job in the Punjab Police.
After Arvinder won the championship in 2018, the then CM referred his case to the sports department on May 21.
Acting on it, then director, sports, Punjab, on June 15, 2018, requested the DGP to recruit Arvinder as a DSP. To which, the DGP on September 24 wrote back to the director, sports, saying no chess player had ever been recruited in the Punjab Police.
Instead, he asked the sports department to request the state government to give the player a job.
Disheartened but still trying to stand his ground, Arvinder wrote to former CM Capt Amarinder Singh, sports minister Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi, sports director Amrit Kaur Gill and the then Punjab DGP, Suresh Arora, seeking his appointment as a DSP.
In his letters to the officials concerned, he said that since the state government appointed international sportspersons from Punjab, including cricketer Harmanpreet Kaur of Moga and wrestler Navjot Kaur of Tarn Taran as DSPs in the Punjab Police, why wasn’t he being left out?
After years of struggle, Arvinder, a BCA, had to take up a job in the Railways in 2005. Later in 2011, he became a technician before being finally appointed as a junior engineer in the mechanical department of the Railways in February 2020 after clearing his promotional exams.
He also won another international championship in Hong Kong but was never given what he deserved.
He went on to win the national amateurs winner in Jalandhar and became the only Punjabi to bag the prestigious chess titles of FIDE Master and FIDE Instructor.
On returning home from Italy after clinching the world championship, Arvinder was disheartened to see no government official at the airport to greet and honour him.
“It is unfortunate that only cricketers or hockey players are honoured. I never got any financial support from the government to participate in any of the international tournaments but still I made sure that I earned respect for my country,” he said.
“Politics at times hinders the growth of players. Now, a chess player from Bathinda who won a silver medal at the Amateur Championship was able to get an A-grade certificate which either an Olympian or those who excel at the international level get. Now, he will soon become an excise and taxation officer. I bagged a gold but I was denied the same,” claimed Arvinder.
When asked why Arvinder was not given the benefits, local district sports officer Ravinder Singh said that the decision of his recruitment is to be taken by the higher authorities in the sports department and the government.
