Global village idiot: Sports, Paralympics, Inspiration

As a little boy in Mumbai, I used to watch my father play badminton every day

As a little boy in Mumbai, I used to watch my father play badminton every day. It was his time with his friends and I used to peep in because it was inspiring. He and his partner, Santhanam Uncle (the two MKs as they were sometimes called since both had the same initials) were birds of a feather - great characters on the court, colourful, animated, competitive, passionate … and sporting. Willing to nurture others and give them opportunities irrespective of background, they wouldn’t give an inch when competing on court.

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I started playing badminton in the late 1970s, but I started taking it seriously only when Prakash Padukone won the All England in 1980. That year was stellar for Padukone and for many kids in our LIC colony. We all wanted to be Padukone. (I also wanted to be Gavaskar and Kapil Dev, as also Khazan Singh, but that’s a different story.). The newspapers did a great job in keeping us kids informed and it’s been that way in subsequent decades (1990s I took up snooker thanks to Geet Sethi’s charismatic international success).

Last week felt like those 1980s and 1990s days. It was an inspiring week. Bhavina Patel won a silver at the Tokyo Paralympics and it could have been a gold quite easily. I watched her play the quarter, semi and final matches, and it was clear that she was competing to win. On her way to the silver medal, she beat players ranked World Number 9, 8, 2, and 3. What struck me was her reported comment after one of the rounds “Please keep supporting me, I can win”.

While Zhou Ying of China won the final in straight sets, it was a keen contest. Bhavina had a plan, played to her strengths and wasn’t overawed. Zhou is the current World Number 1 para-paddler and before the Tokyo Olympics had already won five Olympic golds from 2008 to 2016. She had beaten Bhavina in the opening round quiet easily, but had to use her diverse experience to counter the Indian’s strategy in the final. I was reminded of Sharat Kamal’s round of 32 match against eventual champion Ma Long in the Olympics. There was a conviction in Bhavina’s demeanour that she belonged in the gold medal match and it is something that can’t be taught, it evolves - self-belief.

I had been waiting for the F46 men’s javelin event to watch Devendra Jhajharia, who is a legend. I had first heard about Jhajharia a decade ago and have been following his achievements off and on (through the internet) since then. Jhajharia - who was the world record holder on the F46 javelin for men - had previously won Paralympic gold in 2004 and 2016. I was keen to see if he still had the fire burning and the desire to perform at the top level of sports. His performance was incredibly inspiring, he not only performed at the top level, he delivered his best performance ever, breaking his own world record with 64.35m in his third throw; however, Sri Lankan Dinesh Priyan Herath Mudiyanselage shattered that with 67.79m on his third throw to take gold. Jhajharia took a well-earned silver, while bronze was won by Sundar Singh also of India. What was inspiring was that Jhajharia improved on his past performances and delivered his best - which is all that any human being should constantly aspire for: continuous improvement. Winning and losing, medals and records are a byproduct.

There were many great stories in the Paralympics from across the world, just as there had been great stories in the Olympics. And like the Olympics, I followed the sports I enjoy playing and watching. Our children were curious at what I was reading and watching on my phone from time to time and excited about the events and the competitions. Two of them have taken up fencing since the Olympics and Paralympics (with plastic light sabres of the Star Wars kind). And here’s the thing about kids: they don’t perceive the abilities or disabilities nor the colour of skin or religion nor gender nor financial status - adults put it in their heads by drawing attention to the differences.

The week was also inspiring because the government, industry, and media have been visibly supporting Paralympics and Paralympians, as they had Olympians. The media coverage has been extensive and that is significant because the fourth estate can lead the way to eventual change in societal attitudes by providing sustained visibility as a matter of equal opportunities. I also discovered that Olympic Gold Quest (OGQ), the non-profit movement that has been trying to instil the philosophy of self-belief in Indian sports people as a complementary effort to government and sports federations, has been supporting sportspersons in true spirit of equal opportunities. Several of India’s Paralympians (including Jhajharia) are among the 51 athletes supported by OGQ across eight sports disciplines.

I was looking at the management team of OGQ and it took me some time to realise that the organisation was founded by two great sportspersons who brought unparalleled laurels to India in their playing days - Prakash Padukone and Geet Sethi. Former world champions giving back to society by doing, by driving others to share their expertise and experience, by providing a nurturing environment for sports people irrespective of barriers, by creating a performance-oriented legacy of sporting generations.

That, is truly inspiring.

Mukherjee, author, learning-tech designer and management consultant, is founder of Mountain Walker and chief strategy advisor, Peak Pacific. He can be reached @ thebengali@icloud.com