Olympian Leander Peas has been honoured with the P C Chandra Puraskaar award. The
prestigious award was conferred on 11 May 2025 at the Science City Auditorium, Kolkata.
One of India’s greatest sporting icons and a global ambassador of Indian tennis, Leander is known for his passion, perseverance, and extraordinary achievements on the international tennis circuit. Paes has won 18 Grand Slam titles and is the first Indian to have competed in seven consecutive Olympic Games, earning a bronze medal in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, a media release said.
In its 32 nd edition, the P C Chandra Puraskaar carries an honorarium of ₹20,00,000/- (Rupees Twenty
Lakhs only), which is fully tax-exempt.
Instituted by the P C Chandra Group, the Puraskaar recognises outstanding achievement across various fields and celebrates the values of excellence and integrity espoused by the Group’s founder, Shri Purna Chandra Chandra. The award ceremony is held annually on the founder’s birthday, paying tribute to his legacy by honouring India’s most distinguished personalities who have made significant contributions to society and the nation, the release added.
Over the last three decades, the award has honored national icons from fields such as music, medicine, sports, literature, social work, and science. Past recipients included ISRO Chairman Shri S. Somanath (2024), World Boxing Champion Smt. Mary Kom (2023), Sarod maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan (2022), cricket legend Kapil Dev (2020–21), Dr. Devi Prasad Shetty (2019), legendary singer Smt. Asha Bhosle (2018) and Nobel Peace Laureate Shri Kailash Satyarthi (2017), among many others, the release added.
