Krishna Nagar had just won India’s fifth gold medal at the Paralympics in Tokyo, taking the total tally to 19. The record was impressive by itself—54 athletes winning 19 medals, including 5 golds. It was even more impressive when one considers that India’s total medal tally between 1968, when it first participated in the Paralympics, and 2016, when it won four medals, was 12. Deepa Malik, president of the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI), was elated, though the victory also brought with it a pleasant dilemma. “The PCI isn’t a very rich organisation,” she says, “but we are committed to honouring our athletes. We had ordered gold bracelets for each of our medal winners as tokens of gratitude and affection. We had ordered 15 and now I have the happy problem of increasing the number!” For the first time in India’s sporting history, the result at a Games at this level had exceeded expectations. However, this isn’t a flash in the pan—it could be said the result proves that a process that began in 2004 is gaining momentum.
Shuttle Star
Ashwini Ponnappa was the only Indian to compete in the inaugural edition of BDMNTN-XL, a new international badminton tourney with a new format, held in Indonesia
There's No Planet B
All Living Things-Environmental Film Festival (ALT EFF) returns with 72 films to be screened across multiple locations from Nov. 22 to Dec. 8
AMPED UP AND UNPLUGGED
THE MAHINDRA INDEPENDENCE ROCK FESTIVAL PROMISES AN INTERESTING LINE-UP OF OLD AND NEW ACTS, CEMENTING ITS REPUTATION AS THE 'WOODSTOCK OF INDIA'
A Musical Marriage
Faezeh Jalali has returned to the Prithvi Theatre Festival with Runaway Brides, a hilarious musical about Indian weddings
THE PRICE OF FREEDOM
Nikhil Advani’s adaptation of Freedom at Midnight details our tumultuous transition to an independent nation
Family Saga
RAMONA SEN's The Lady on the Horse doesn't lose its pace while narrating the story of five generations of a family in Calcutta
THE ETERNAL MOTHER
Prayaag Akbar's new novel delves into the complexities of contemporary India
TURNING A NEW LEAF
Since the turn of the century, we have lost hundreds of thousands of trees. Many had stood for centuries, weathering storms, wars, droughts and famines.
INDIA'S BEATING GREEN HEART
Ramachandra Guha's new book-Speaking with Nature-is a chronicle of homegrown environmentalism that speaks to the world
A NEW LEASE FOR OLD FILMS
NOSTALGIA AND CURIOSITY BRING AUDIENCES BACK TO THE THEATRES TO REVISIT MOVIES OF THE YESTERYEARS
