JOURNEY OF A NATION: 75 years of Indian Sports

 When BalbirSingh Sr was dropped from the 1948 Olympic hockey final, Indian students in Londonerupted in protest for his comeback. He was inducted in the team and the restis history. His teacher mortgaged his own house to fund Olympics trip for hispupil. This pupil was Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav, India’s first individualOlympic winner. On the day of the final, this shuttler had taken the Londontube, carried his kit, and walked to the court. Prakash Padukone would laterbecome the first Indian to win the All England Open Badminton Championships.

Storiesof triumph are often written in tribulations. As India celebrates 75 years ofIndependence, we look back at sporting achievements of this country and revisitthe moments that made memories. Nothing has united India as much as a fantasticperformance in a sport. The victories, the medals and the individual brillianceof India’s sportspersons have bridged divides even during moments of despair inthe country. India has produced a number of brilliant individuals and teams whohave ensured that India’s flag is held high at all times. Whether it is ahockey champion on either sides of Independence, orbeing home to flannelledgods of cricket, soldiers of the 64 squares, tennis stars, wrestlers,weightlifters, boxers, shuttlers or cueists, India has always aimed for thetop.

75 Years of Indian Sports, a part of the series Journey of a Nation, is a chronicleof the country’s journey as a sporting nation, the journey of the players frombeing amateurs to being world champions.