Author: Boria Majumdar

Boria Majumdar in Paris It has been a stellar Paralympics for India – 29 medals don’t come easy, and speak of a revolution back home. From a solitary medal in 2012 to 29 just 12 years later is serious progress. And that’s what brings me to this piece, my penultimate one from here in Paris as we get ready to leave for home. For the last few weeks, we have repeatedly talked about Harvinder Singh, Sumit Antil, Sheetal Devi, Nitesh Kumar, Preethi Pal and the like. We have written about them and their stories. Celebrated them and given them their…

Boria Majumdar in Paris “I don’t know if I should say this to anyone” was how it began. Harvinder Singh, one of the nicest athletes I know and India’s flag-bearer for the closing ceremony, was somewhat downcast when I met him at the Athletes Village. While everyone else was celebrating the 26th medal, he was standing quietly in a corner. “What happened?” I asked, and it seemed to me that he wanted to say something but couldn’t. “If you don’t want me to write it, I will not,” I assured him, and said he could tell me if that helped…

Boria Majumdar in Paris With two days left for the Paralympics to end, it is perhaps time to take stock of what I have learnt over the last 45 days during the Olympics and the Paralympics. How sport continues to teach life lessons, and makes you feel humbled each time you try to get too far ahead of yourself and make predictions. How sport always has a way to surprise you and bring smiles to people’s faces. Finally, and most importantly, how we can all continue to get better and make a difference. I will highlight my learnings with three…

Boria Majumdar in Paris I had predicted 25 medals coming into the Paralympics. Now, I am adding one more to the tally. To finish with 50 percent more medals than what India had won in Tokyo – and with half of those won by women – the Paralympics contingent has turned a new leaf. The number of gold medals has not gone down either, and when you think that India missed out on a few certain golds – Thulasimathi Murugesan and Krishna Nagar, to name just two – you know that the story is positive and vibrant. India is on…

Boria Majumdar in Paris The Mixed Ream Recurve Archery bronze-medal match against Slovenia had just ended and Harvinder Singh and Gaurav Sharma had come to the mixed zone while Pooja Jatyan was in tears and did not want to speak to the media. I was the lone Indian journalist waiting and I immediately informed coach Sharma that it was fine by me because she looked distraught. That was when Harvinder stepped in. “I don’t think I would want to celebrate my gold medal much,” he said of his individual prize. “This bronze medal would have meant much more than a…

Boria Majumdar in Paris “The moment the semi-final was over and I had won, there was a sense of relief,” said Harvinder Singh, moments after he had won the recurve gold medal in archery at the Paralympics. “The medal was assured, and it was one better than Tokyo. My heart was racing, and wanted to run away to India to my mother and father, wife and child. I wanted to speak to them and celebrate. But my mind was saying to me that the job isn’t done yet. I had come this far and needed to make it count. I…

Boria Majumdar in Paris On Teacher’s Day, it is time to pause and appreciate the work that some of our coaches do, or have done, with our Para athletes over the last few years. Maybe that’s why Sumit Antil, soon after winning the gold medal, put it around the neck of his coach as a gesture of appreciation for all the hard work that was done behind the scenes. Maybe for the same reason that Sheetal Devi decided to dedicate her medal to the Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, set up by her coach Kuldeep Vedwan, who has worked tirelessly…

Boria Majumdar in Paris We wanted to do something different today and, after much brainstorming, failed to come up with something interesting. That was when Sumit Antil called to say he was coming out for the interview. Just when Sumit asked me where I was waiting, Nishad Kumar came on the line. He had met me at a certain location outside the village and knew the spot where I was waiting. “Sir, coming to the same spot,” he said. That’s when the idea struck me. How about asking Nishad to interview Sumit? It could be an interesting one for sure.…

Boria Majumdar in Paris It was the archery mixed-team semi-final against Iran and the match was tied at 152-152. Even in the shoot-off, both teamshit near-identical 10s. But then, with Iran’s 10s being millimetres closer to the centre, they were declared the winners and advanced to the final. For Rakesh Kumar and Sheetal Devi, it was a crushing blow. Twice in two days, Rakesh was so near yet so far. And Sheetal, who had lost by a point in her individual event, yet again lost out by the narrowest of margins. They had one more chance to make it count.…

Boria Majumdar in Paris In my thirty-plus years of sports reporting, I have not heard a story like this. When Nishad Kumar first came to train in Panchkula, he wasn’t sure if he would be admitted. Nor was he certain about the fees the coaches charge every month. When his brother asked one of the coaches what the fee structure was like, he was told that it was a government facility and talented athletes are trained without charge. Thinking to himself that he had at least saved 1500 rupees for the family, Nishad made up his mind to be a…