For decades, sports in India hid away in the shadows, lurking behind the one giant, cricket. Cricket has been towering over every other sport in the country, while other disciplines struggled for visibility, support and recognition. By default, parents would encourage their children to pursue engineering, medicine, civil services and other such educational fields. Parents who encouraged their children to pick up sport, especially track and field remained a minority. To dream of becoming a professional athlete is still seen as a gamble and not a career.
But the narrative is changing in modern India. Today, sport is more than just a pastime or an extracurricular activity. Because of the growing visibility, it is celebrated as a part of public life that now gets just as much importance as any other profession.
This transformation was on full display yesterday as the country celebrated ‘National Sports Day’. Every district of the country came alive with a “Jan Andolan of Sports”. From hockey exhibitions in small communities to fitness drives in schools, universities, Panchayats, and urban local bodies, the day was dedicated to sports and people came out to celebrate it like any other festival with “Har Gali, Har Maidaan; Khele Saara Hindustan” as the motto.
But the shift is deliberate and planned through a people centric approach. Sports associations like the Indian Olympic Association, the Paralympic Committee of India, and various sports federations are now deliberately taking the game to the grassroots. Sports federations, through these grassroots development programmes, are constantly in search of the next Neeraj Chopra, or the next Mirabai Chanu. Initiatives like Khelo India, Fit India, and the Targeted Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) are at the forefront of this drive.
At the JLN stadium, Union Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya inaugurated India’s first MONDO Athletics Track. India is only the 25th country in the World to have its very own MONDO track. Built in just four months, the track was unveiled in the presence of para-athletes like Sumit Antil, Simran Sharma, Preeti Pal, and Praveen Kumar alongside Olympian Anju Bobby George.
While it was pouring rain in the capital, nothing could wash away the spirit of sports. The day was filled with activities, from a 400m exhibition run featuring ministers, athletes, and sports administrators, to a lighthearted cricket match between Ministers XI and Media XI. It was clear that the messaging was – sport should not be confined to elite or international competition, sport should be about community and participation.
What makes this ‘National Sports Day’ so special is the fact that we are not just seeing upgrades in infrastructure or policies but there is a change in mindset as well. India is finally treating sports as more than just recreation and as an integral part of national development and international prestige. Young athletes no longer have to defend their choices against accusations of “wasting time”. Parents no longer hesitate to imagine a child’s future on the track, the mat, or the hockey field. The sporting arena, as Dr. Mandaviya put it, is becoming “the greatest classroom”, a place where lessons of resilience, teamwork, discipline, and ambition are taught every day.
For more updates follow RevSportz