Sports literature fest concludes
The ninth edition of the PlayWrite Sports Literature Festival covered various aspects of the life of sportspersons, struggle of coaches and their life beyond sports. The inaugural session witnessed a pep talk by India’s first women blade-runner Kiran Kanojia.
The Indian para-athlete recalled the horrific 2011 train incident, where she lost a limb while resisting some bag snatchers. “Inspiration comes from people surrounding you, and in my case it was my father, who said you may have lost a limb, but not your courage. I am a kind of person who carries life at its best despite being surrounded by problems,” said Kiran.
The event also witnessed a session on ‘Ice Breaking - Ice hockey’, where Harjinder Singh, founder, Indian Ice Hockey Association (IIHA), recalled the journey of promoting ice hockey in the country. Disket Changmo, captain of the Indian women’s team, shared her inspiration behind taking up the sport. Gurpreet Singh Bakshi, president, IIHA, shared the enthusiasm among youth in regions like Kaza and other Himalayan areas.
The session “Shining Young International Sportswomen” brought together three inspiring Indian women athletes Ganemat Sekhon (shooting), Raiza Dhillon (shooting) and Bhavani Thekkada (cross-country skier). The session “Steely Journalism” featured senior female sports journalists, while a session on ‘tennis at the grassroots’ featured former Indian tennis player Vishal Uppal and Navchetan Benipal.
The book discussion on “We Are the Champions” written by father-son duo of Vijay Lokapally and Akshay Lokapally in conversation with Vivek Atray explored the journey of Indian sports.
