Olympic bronze medallist and four-time Olympian Gagan Narang, alongside his wife Annu Raj Singh — the first Indian woman pistol shooter to qualify for the Olympic Games — on Wednesday announced Project Amarjeet, a nationwide free coaching, mentoring, and guidance initiative accessible to shooters, coaches, and academies across India. The launch coincided with Narang's birthday, a date he describes as the most significant of his life outside competitive sport.

The vision behind the name

Project Amarjeet is named after Gagan Narang's mother, Amarjeet, whose name in Hindi translates to "one whose victory never dies" — derived from Amar (immortal) and Jeet (victory). In his remarks, Narang emphasised that the project honours not just one mother, but all mothers who have supported shooters' journeys. "Every mother who drove to a range at five in the morning, who sat in the stands and held her breath until the last shot was taken, who believed before there was any evidence to believe in — Amarjeet means one whose victory never dies," he said. "Project Amarjeet is our way of giving back, in their name, through this sport, to whoever needs it next."

Three-tier programme structure

The initiative operates through three distinct offerings, each available across Grassroots, Intermediate, and Elite levels. Udaan is an intensive three-to-five-day coaching camp delivered at the applicant's facility, with Narang and Singh travelling to underprivileged shooters at academies with limited elite coaching access. Pratibha provides sustained one-on-one mentoring over months, delivered in person and remotely, for gifted individuals showing exceptional promise. Disha offers structured guidance and consultancy to coaches, academies, and parents, producing written direction documents with specific, actionable recommendations.

Open access across India

All three programmes are available to anyone in India connected to shooting, regardless of affiliation, geography, competitive level, or institutional connection. Gagan Narang and Annu Raj Singh will personally review applications. Singh underscored the rationale: "I figured out the hardest parts of my journey on my own. I don't think any young shooter in this country should have to. If the knowledge exists and the people who have it are willing to give it, there is no reason to withhold it."

Funding and contribution model

While Narang and Singh contribute their time freely, operational costs — travel, accommodation, expert professional fees, and equipment for those unable to provide their own — are covered through a three-part contribution framework. Saathi refers to coaches and experts who volunteer time; Sahyog encompasses institutions, corporations, and foundations funding specific programmes through the Gagan Narang Sports Promotion Foundation (GNSPF), a registered NGO offering Section 80G tax exemption; and Samarpan covers individual donors contributing any amount through GNSPF with full tax benefits. Narang confirmed: "Our time is our contribution. It is given in the name of our mothers. Every rupee raised goes toward making a program happen, travel, accommodation, equipment, and expert professionals. Nothing else."

Infrastructure and online support

Where applicants lack their own shooting range, Project Amarjeet arranges access through its Range Partner network, anchored by Gun for Glory — the world-class academy founded by Narang and home to Olympians Elavenil Valarivan and Ramita Jindal. Beyond core programmes, the project will deliver structured online and offline training in partnership with knowledge providers across six disciplines: financial literacy for athletes, anti-doping education, nutrition, sport science, strength and conditioning, and mental conditioning. All sessions are available to registered programme participants.