Taekwondo athlete Danish Manzoor from Baramulla has been awarded the prestigious Mahatma Gandhi Rashtriya Seva Medal on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti. The event was held at Hotel International, Srinagar, and was presented by the Gandhi Global Family under the leadership of Padma Shri Dr. S. P. Verma, President, Gandhi Global Family J&K.

The Mahatma Gandhi Rashtriya Seva Medal, regarded as the second-highest award from the Gandhi family, has previously been conferred on eminent figures such as His Holiness the Dalai Lama, former President of India Shri K R Narayanan, and UPA Chairperson Smt Sonia Gandhi. This year, Danish was among six individuals to be honoured, alongside notable personalities including SSP Traffic Rural Kashmir Shri Ravinder Pal Singh.
Beginning Taekwondo at the age of 13 in modest training halls of Kashmir, Danish has worked his way up to become one of India’s most accomplished athletes in the sport. He holds a World Taekwondo-approved athlete’s license and has represented India at multiple Olympic-ranking championships worldwide.
His international highlights include a bronze medal at the 13th Elite Cup International Taekwondo Championships in Jordan (2025), a top-5 finish at the World Taekwondo Octagon Diamond G4 event in South Korea (2023), and strong performances at the Israel Open G2 (2022), the Fajr Cup in Tehran (2024), and the Presidents Cup Asian Region in Tehran (2024). Danish has also trained with the Uzbekistan and Jordan National Teams as part of their Olympic camps, gaining exposure to some of the sport’s best athletes.
In 2022, he was appointed a Fit India Ambassador, becoming the only Taekwondo athlete in the country with this recognition.
The conferment of the Mahatma Gandhi Rashtriya Seva Medal on Danish Manzoor not only celebrates his sporting success but also highlights the growing recognition of sports as a tool for peace, discipline, and nation-building. His journey from Baramulla to global Olympic ranking events stands as a testament to resilience and the transformative power of sport.
Extending her wishes, Help Foundation Chairperson Ms. Nighat Shafi Pandit congratulated Danish on receiving the award, calling it “a proud moment for Kashmir and a motivation for every aspiring athlete.”
Speaking at the ceremony, Danish said, “Walking into arenas abroad is always emotional because I come from Baramulla, where such dreams were rare. To now receive the Mahatma Gandhi Rashtriya Seva Medal is not just my victory—it belongs to every young athlete from Jammu & Kashmir who believes in perseverance.”