SPORTING SPIRIT

Tanushree Podder's recent book has stories of passionate and committed athletes, who strived to succeed for the nation by beating all odds

- ANUSHREE MADHAVAN

Hockey, javelin throw, wrestling...in a cricket-loving country, these games become fascinating for us when our sportspersons represent the country at the Commonwealth Games or the Olympics. We revel in their wins and nurse a broken heart when they lose.

Case in point: the nation mourned when wrestler Vinesh Phogat was disqualified, and stayed awake all night to watch Neeraj Chopra clinch a silver in javelin throw.

As yet another Olympics season comes to a close, it seems like the right time to flip through Tanushree Podder's recent, perfectly-timed release Golden Sportsper sons. The author believes that releasing the book at the perfect moment can make all the difference, and considering the Paris Olympics that opened in July, the team got down to business. "My editor, Garima, illustrator, Pallavi, and I worked hard to finish the book with no delays.

I have spent more than a year working on Golden Sportspersons. The research part took a long time and was comprehensive, as every detail had to be checked to ensure accuracy. It was also crucial to update the achievements and records of every athlete consistently after each event," she says.

Aimed at young adults, the book has a selection and equal number of male and female sportspersons from the country. It retells the stories of grit, determination, and struggles of players from across sports, and serves as a ready reckoner for all those who want to know a bit more about their beloved sports personalities.

From Mirabai Chanu and Praggnanandhaa R to Jhulan Goswami and Annu Rani, the book includes many a sporting legend.