Why does a country of a billion-plus have so little to show for itself at the Olympics? There are more questions than answers to this long-pending drought our country has been going through. The answers are discussed in Dreams of a Billion in which Boria Majumdar and Nalin Mehta take us back and forth in India’s journey at Olympics.
As we gear up for the 2020 Tokyo Games, the writers give the reader an inside view of what goes on backstage when Indians compete in the biggest sporting event.
Dreams of a Billion — India and the Olympic Games is an important piece of work in a country where there is very little literature about Olympic sports. From bringing to the fore tales of heroic triumphs at the Olympic and Paralympic Games to throwing light on what it takes to compete with the best in the world, the first part of Dreams of a Billion traces the journey of how these athletes — Abhinav Bindra, M C Mary Kom and PV Sindhu — became sporting icons of the country. In the latter half of the book, tales from India’s early Olympic history and the road ahead finds a place. For instance, the book tells us how India was once a side to reckon with at least in hockey, but is nowhere now in the podium picture.
Dreams of a Billion also gives a quick history of how India has fared at the Olympics over the past century and a look at how it has changed in the last decade. It brings to the fore the amazing success stories of wrestler Sakshi Malik, the agonising and painful moment for wrestler Vinesh Phogat and gymnast Dipa Karmakar’s journey to superstardom.
It also throws light on how India’s badminton scenario has changed in recent times. The Indian shuttlers are now world-beaters and ready to take on the very best and are fearless on court. For this transformation, the role of the iconic former All-England Champion Pullea Gopichand has been told with panache. The sheer hard work, the grit, and the desire to push the limit in search for the prized medal has been effectively documented.
The title, Mother Mary – India’s Ali From Imphal, a chapter on M C Mary Kom aptly sums up the phenomenon that the sportsperson is. The authors have rightly said — This was because Mary was not simply a boxer trying to win a medal for India. She was a symbol of hope and empowerment with a never-say-die attitude that so defined contemporary India. For the longest time, we had heard that India was lagging in international sports from a lack of facilities and training opportunities. Here was someone who was born in Manipur with little or no facilities and still made it to the top of her sport and remained there for over a decade. She was at the Olympics, fighting in a higher weight category than her own and still not overwhelmed by the enormity of the occasion.
Many anecdotes and untold stories of Indian sports make this book a must-have for sports buffs. The authors have ensured that there is never a dull moment with this read.
