Author: Boria Majumdar

Boria Majumdar in Paris The semi-final match had just ended and Suhas Yathiraj, as expected, had won in straight games against compatriot Sukant Kadam and advanced to the final of the Paralympics. After a warm embrace between the two Indians and a namaste with the referee, Suhas waved to the crowd and soaked in the applause. That’s when it started. All of a sudden, he started getting the crowd to go! Throwing his hands up and punching the air, he ran a few steps in all four directions of the packed stadium to the amusement of many in the stands.…

Boria Majumdar in Paris It was around 9:30pm in Paris, and Mona Agarwal had just settled down after attending to all the phone calls and interview requests. While almost all of us had expected Avani Lekhara to win, Mona’s bronze was a surprise and added to India’s medal count. As she picked up the call, it was evident she was tired, and yet excited and relieved. “It feels great to win this medal,” she said. “With all the financial struggle and everything else that we have been through as a family, this medal means the world to us all.” Mona…

Sacking of coaches isn’t new to Indian football. Carles Cuadrat isn’t the first, nor will he be the last, to lose his job. But the context in which it was done, and the manner in which he was removed raises a number of questions. First, what is our patience threshold? Not long ago, Cuadrat was considered a messiah for the club, having won them a major trophy – the Super Cup – after a gap of 12 years. He could do no wrong at the time, and plans were made with Cuadrat in mind as the long-term boss. Within a…

Boria Majumdar in Paris Pressure. Perhaps the most used word when it comes to sport. Everyone who has played sport will tell you there is always pressure. From fans, parent bodies, sponsors, family and, most importantly, from yourself. At the end of the day, a sportsperson is alone grappling with her or his own mind. A mind that is full of clutter and constantly fighting to be freed. Of all the thoughts that keep flooding in, of the possibilities that keep disturbing the equilibrium and, finally, all the hope and expectation of what might be. It is not easy. Never…

Boria Majumdar in Paris The competition had just finished and Abhilasha Chaudhary, her coach, had left to check on the final set of arrows with the judges. Sheetal Devi, unfazed, stood up and walked back a few steps to where the television monitor was and started looking at her final few shots. For the entire time during her competition, I stood within a few feet of her and watched her perform. As we looked at each other, I asked if she had managed to break the world record. “Nahi pata [I don’t know],” replied Sheetal, looking the other way towards…

Boria Majumdar in Paris On National Sports Day, let’s make a bold prediction. India will win 8-10 gold medals at the Paralympics here in Paris. If that happens, it will make Paris the best-ever Games and historic in the annals of Indian sport. Is this prediction realistic or is it just something that I am saying on National Sports Day? Can the Indian athletes absorb the pressure of the big stage and deliver in the next 12 days to make it to India’s Games? Could India actually finish in the top 20 on the medals table? Yes, they can. A…

Boria Majumdar in Paris I have said a number of times already that India is expected to win 25 medals at the Paralympics. If that happens, the one thing that will surely occur on the side is that people will start commenting on social media that while the Paralympians have done really well, the Olympic campaign was a failure. ‘When the Paralympians can, why can’t the Olympians?’ will be the refrain. Some will surely say that while some lakhs have been spent on Sumit Antil, who is expected to win the gold with a possible world record in his event,…

Boria Majumdar in Paris I was going through the Indian papers yesterday evening, and I am sorry to say I hardly found much Paralympics coverage. With 24 hours to go, one expected a lot more coverage in the Indian press with the 84-strong Indian contingent poised to win over 25 medals at the Games. At the Olympics, I was pleasantly surprised to see the strong Indian media presence. Yes, there were some who had never covered Olympic sport or had turned Olympic reporters for the first time in four years, but at least they were there. And they made an…

There is no shying away from the fact that there is a lot of negativity around in India at the moment. With justice still not delivered in the RG Kar case, the situation is far from normal. And it might get far more complicated in the coming months unless serious action is taken by the political class. Besides, there are other issues as well. We have seen the worst of human behaviour in the RG Kar case, and it has challenged the very foundations of our society. In all this negativity, sport has been a ray of hope. It brings…

Now that the itinerary for India’s tour to England in 2025 has been announced and we are playing a June Test after a gap of 29 years, it is time to look back on the first tour 92 years ago, when a young and unfancied Indian side traveled to England for the first time. The Times, London on March 1, 1932, one-and-a-half months before the Indians embarked on their tour of England, published the following report: “The game gown on…The Delhi police may be having three sharp rounds with a rioting crowd in the Chandni Chowk, the crowded bazaar of…