Prakash Padukone: A Sports Icon

 

Prakash Padukone is a name that resonates with excellence and sportsmanship in the world of badminton. Born on June 10, 1955, in Bangalore, India, Padukone's journey from a young enthusiast to a legendary athlete is nothing short of inspiring. With a career spanning over two decades, he has etched his name in the annals of sports history through his remarkable achievements and contributions to the sport of badminton.

 

Early Years and Beginnings

Padukone's journey in the world of sports began at a young age when he picked up the badminton racket. His early training was under the tutelage of renowned coach Prakash Lakhani. His dedication and talent quickly became evident, and he began making strides in the national badminton scene. 

National and International Success

Padukone's rise to prominence in Indian badminton was meteoric. In 1971, at the age of 16, he clinched the national championship title. This marked the beginning of a string of victories that would cement his place as one of India's greatest sportsmen.

One of his most significant achievements came in 1980 when Prakash Padukone became the first Indian to win the prestigious All England Badminton Championships. This historic win not only brought pride to the nation but also put India on the map in the international badminton circuit. His victory at the All England Championships opened doors for Indian badminton players to compete at the highest level and inspired generations to follow in his footsteps. 

Asian Games and Commonwealth Games Glory

Padukone's success was not confined to just one tournament. He continued to shine on the international stage, winning the gold medal at the 1978 Commonwealth Games in Edmonton, Canada. His performance at the Asian Games was equally spectacular, with a bronze medal in the 1982 New Delhi edition and a silver medal in the 1978 Bangkok edition. 

Contribution to Indian Badminton

While Padukone's individual achievements are awe-inspiring, his contributions to Indian badminton go beyond his on-court triumphs. He played a pivotal role in nurturing young talent and shaping the future of Indian badminton.

Padukone's Badminton Academy, established in 1994, has been a breeding ground for talented shuttlers. Many of India's top-ranked players, including Pullela Gopichand and Saina Nehwal, honed their skills under his guidance. His commitment to the development of the sport and mentoring young talents has been instrumental in elevating the standard of Indian badminton on the global stage. Indian Badminton Players  

Awards and Recognitions

Prakash Padukone's illustrious career has been duly recognized with numerous awards and accolades. He was honored with the Arjuna Award in 1972 and the Padma Shri in 1982 for his outstanding contributions to sports. His enduring legacy in badminton was further celebrated when he was awarded the prestigious Padma Bhushan in 2018. 

In the annals of Indian sports history, Prakash Padukone's name shines brightly as a symbol of dedication, excellence, and sportsmanship. His journey from a young aspiring badminton player to an international icon is a testament to the power of hard work and determination. Not only did he conquer the courts with his remarkable skills, but he also contributed significantly to the growth and development of badminton in India. 

Prakash Padukone's legacy continues to inspire the current generation of badminton players and sports enthusiasts alike. His unwavering commitment to the sport and his role in nurturing young talent ensure that his influence on Indian badminton will endure for generations to come. Padukone's remarkable achievements and contributions have left an indelible mark on the world of sports, making him a true sporting icon in the history of India.

 

Rowing in India

  

Rowing in India is a popular sport that involves propelling a boat through water to cover a specific distance in the quickest possible time. One or more people use wooden sticks as oars. Bajrang Lal Takhar hailing from Sikar District of Rajasthan, is one of the prolific rowers in India

In this game, the athletes of rowing compete against each other on lakes or rivers or sometimes on the ocean, depending, of course on the type of race or discipline. In rowing the boats are actually propelled by reaction forces on the ores blades as the same is pushed against the water. This sport can be played as both competitive and recreational purposes. For the former it involves learning the technique and for the latter overall fitness plays a major role.

History of Rowing
Rowing also happens to be one of the oldest Olympic sports. The earliest record of rowing as a sport can he traced back to Egyptian civilisation to about 1425 BC. This game was popular during the Roman period also. Rowing regattas were held for the first time in Venice around 300 AD. The oldest annual recorded race was from London Bridge to Chelsea held on 1 August, 7 776. India sees the rowing from the British era.

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Women Cricketers in India

  

Women Cricketers in India from the 1970 showed their talent, but the women cricket tournaments are not popular even now-a-days. But the recent developments in Women Cricket is making it popular. There are various women cricket players in India. Some of them are Anjum Chopra, Sandhya Agarwal, Karu Jain, Jhulan Goswami, Mithali Raj, Nilima Jogalekar and Shantha Rangaswamy.

Shantha Rangaswamy
Shantha Rangaswamy is also popularly known as Shanta Rangaswamy. She was born on 1st January 1954 in the city of Madras now known asChennai. She was a part of the women's cricket team and represented her country in 16 matches' from1976 to 1991, leading the side in 8 matches in 1976-77 and four in 1983-84.

Diana Edulji
Diana Fram Edulji was born on 26th January 1956 is a former Indian women Test cricketer. She was born in the city of Mumbai and was drawn to sports from a very young age. During her growing up days she played with tennis ball in the colony where she lived. She then also went on to play table tennis and basket ball at the junior national levels, before shifting to cricket.

Sujata Sridhar
Sujata Sridhar was born on 25th December 1961 is a former ODI and Test cricketer who represented India. She played three tests and six ODI's and also played for Karnataka and Tamil Nadu in the domestic leagues.

Fowzieh Khalili
Fowzieh Khalili was born on 10th October 1958 in the city of Chennai. She represented India at the ODI and Test level and played her domestic cricket for the state of Tamil Nadu. She played eight Tests and thirteen One Day Internationals matches.

Purnima Rau
Purnima Rau was born on 30th January 1967 in the city of Secunderabad, Andhra Pradesh. Purnima Rau is a former cricketer and was a part of the women's cricket team. She played Test cricket (5 matches between 1993 and 1995) and ODI cricket for India (33 matches between 1993 and 2000), and also captained Air India Women's cricket team in Indian domestic women's cricket. Rau captained the Indian team in 3 Test matches and 8 ODI matches.

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Adventure Sports in India

  

Adventure sports in India are fast gaining popularity among the people. India, as a country, has fast emerged as one of the most famous destination for adventure sports in the world.

Adventure sports in India include the rafting, mountaineering, paragliding, parasailing, scuba diving, snorkeling, bunjee jumping, and sky diving. Skiing in Jammu and Kashmir, River Rafting in Himachal Pradesh, mountaineering in Uttarakhand, trekking in Arunachal Pradesh, scuba diving in Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep Islands, flying Fox in Kerala, Bungee Jumping in Karnataka, water sports in Goa, paragliding in Maharashtra and rock climbing in Madhya Pradesh are the popular adventure sports which are promoting tourism in Indian states.

As a country, India offers great opportunities for adventure travellers, who are looking for a variety of experience. The Indian topography is such that, because of its diversity and variation from snow capped mountains on the one hand, to sea and desert on the other - all this make Indian sub continent an ideal adventure sports destination.

India as a nation has great potential for adventure sports. Right from trekking, paragliding, mountaineering and rafting to scuba diving, India promises to offer the enthusiastic traveller an experience of a lifetime. India as a nation offers great deal of excitement to the tourists. The northern part of the country offer wonderful opportunity like trekking, mountaineering, paragliding, skiing and river rafting. And the southern part of India forms the amazing destination for water sports.

Mountaineering in Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand is one of the best places for mountaineering and climbing activities. Most of the areas of Uttarakhand is either covered by the thick forest or snow covered mountains with rocky hills and beautiful meadows. The mountain climbing in Uttarkhand is a very challenging sport and needs skills to choose and perform the right technique at the right time, effectively and efficiently Garhwal and Kumon region of Uttarakhand offers mountaineering, ski, rafting, hiking and rock climbing sports in India.

Glacier Trek from Gangotri, Uttarakhand
The trekking experience at high reaches of Uttrakhand, Gaumukh Glacier in Gangotri is phenomenal. The trekking is best recommended for adventure lovers fond of rock-climbing, boulder- hopping and glacier traversing. The trek is also a treat for nature lovers due to the range and diversity of plant and animal life. The herds of Bharal are often spotted on these mountain ridges. The abundance of silver birch has given birth to the name Bhojkharak, while it is also called Chirbasa because of the clumps of blue pine in the region.

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Rowing Clubs in India

  

Rowing clubs in India are affiliated to various rowing association of India, which in turn is affiliated to the Rowing Federation of India. Some of these clubs have long history attached to it as they were set up during the times of British Colonial rule in India.

Bengal Rowing Club
Bengal Rowing Club (BRC) is located in Kolkata in West Bengal. This rowing club is one of the most famous rowing clubs in India. GD Birla, on the site of a former lakeside bank of Rabindra Sarobar, founded the club on 25th August 1929. BRC Students Rowing Championship is the biggest sporting event of Bengal Rowing Club (BRC). It is organized annually in mid May. The championship is organized in several categories, which include 'Junior Girls, Fours’, 'Senior Girls, Fours', 'Junior Boys, Fours' and 'Senior Boys, Fours'.

Calcutta Rowing Club
Calcutta Rowing Club is situated in the city of Kolkata in the Indian state of West Bengal and founded in the year 1858 and is also one of the oldest rowing clubs of its kinds outside UK. History of Calcutta Rowing Club has not been known. The exact history has been wiped out of Kolkata, after the city experienced the great cyclone in the year 1864. The boat and boat house, along with minute books and all the records have been disappeared. Out of the catastrophe, the only thing that could be preserved were the Accounts of 1858-59 signed by Mr.John Cowle, as the Honorary Secretary and Treasurer, and he goes down in history as the first officer on record. Currently the club is located at the 15 Rabindra Sarobar, Kolkata-700029, after the construction of the Dhakuria Lake in 1928. Ever since 1979, the CRC has been able to maintain its position and status in the rowing scene.

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Indian Athletes

  

In India, athletics is counted among the most popular form of sports and is played extensively throughout the country. India has so far produced several eminent athletes, who have excelled in the international arena. Indian athletes started playing in the international athletic meets for the first time in 1948, when they took part in the London Olympic Games. The Indian team comprised 8 athletes in the 1948 Olympics, out of which 6 were men and 2 women. It was also the first time that the Indian women athletes participated in the Olympic Games.

Dalip Singh
Dalip Singh is a well known athlete who was the first sportsperson to represent India at the Olympics. He was also a good hockey player. He also owns the pride of being the first person from India who became the torchbearer at the inaugural Asian Games held at Delhi in the year 1951.

P.T. Usha
P. T. Usha is another prominent athlete of India who is also popularly known as "Golden Girl", "Running Machine", "Sprint Queen", "Payyoli Express" and by many other titles. Through her admirable career she had inspired a number of young woman athletes. She is the owner of seven national awards and had won a number of gold and silver medals in different tournaments.

Jyotirmoyee Sikdar
Jyotirmoyee Sikdar carved a distinct niche for herself in Indian athletics by bagging one silver medal and two gold medals at Bangkok Asian Games in 1998. She also won Arjuna Award in the year 1995. In 1998 she also became the first athlete to receive the honour of Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award in 1998.

Devendra Jhajharia
Devendra Jhajharia was the winner of first gold medal in Paralympics from India. He is a one armed javelin thrower who lost one of his arms in childhood in an accident. He was also honoured with the most prestigious sports award, the Arjuna Awards. He also won gold medals at Athens in 2004 and the 8th FESPIC Games of Korea in 2002.

Shiny Abraham
Shiny Abraham was another famous athlete of India who, for fourteen long years, remained the National Champion in 800 metres. She had also won a number of gold medals. In the year 1995 at the SAF games in Chennai, she was also declared as the best woman athlete. She was awarded with the Arjuna Award and the Chinese Journalist Award.

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Tennis in India

  

Indian Tennis gains popularity from British era. This game comprises both the games of Lawn Tennis and Table Tennis and India has earned significant recognition and reputation in the international arena, in both the games.

Indian Tennis and Table Tennis players have shown great performances in various prestigious regional and international tournaments, so far and have brought a lot of glory for the country, as well.

History of Tennis in India
The History of Indian Tennis is quite old and the game was brought into India by the British Army and Civilian Officers, during 1880s. The game got immense popularity among the Indians within no time. The main reason behind this was the easy rules and regulations of the game and also the excitement attached to the game. Once getting popularity in India, Tennis saw several tournaments to be organised during the later half of the 19th century. Some of the major Tennis tournaments of that time in India were the Punjab Lawn tennis Championship at Lahore that was held in 1885 and the Bengal Lawn Tennis Championship at Kolkata (1887) and also the All India Tennis Championships at Allahabad (1910).

All the Indian Tennis tournaments were used to be organised for promoting the game and also developing the entire scenario of Indian Tennis. During the colonial period, tennis was dominated by British Empire in India. Later when the Indians were familiarized with tennis, the British players dominated the championships. Having a good zeal in tennis, the Indian tennis players started making their presence in the national level. The British stranglehold was broken by veteran Indian tennis player Mohammed Saleem from Lahore, who emerged victorious in the Punjab Championship in 1915. He grabbed the trophies one after another between 1919 and 1926. Saleem's extraordinary performance stimulated other Indian players to consider the game seriously. In 1917, the Bengal Championship title was won by N.S Iyer. In the year 1919, Nagu bagged the title at the All India Singles Tennis Championship held at the Gymkhana Club at Allahabad.

Tennis in Modern India
For a better management of Indian Tennis, several state and national associations were also established in India during the first half of the twentieth century. The associations have played an important role in producing a large number of talented Tennis players to represent India in the international arena. Apart from the Tennis associations, several Indian Tennis academies are also working hard to produce talented Tennis players in India. The associations and academies are strictly following the rules of Tennis, as instructed by the All India Tennis Association (AITA).

Modern Tennis Players in India
The Indian Tennis players like Jaidip Mukherjee, Vijay Amritraj, Ramanathan Krishnan, Ramesh Krishnan, Leander Paes, Mahesh Bhupathi, Sania Mirza, etc. have got considerable success in various international Tennis tournaments. India has also seen a number of Arjuna Awardees in Tennis, who have been honoured by the Government of India through this award. Although Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi have split and are playing with different partners, they are adding to their count of Grand Slam trophies, year by year. They shine their names and contribute a new epoch to the Indian tennis at the individual levels. The entry of Sania Mirza gave a new dimension in the Indian tennis. She has managed to deliver admirable performances, both at the national and international level. She has become an inspiration to the young sporting enthusiasts of the country. Rohan Bopanna and Prakash Amritraj are among the others to pick up the gauntlet and to enhance the stature of Indian tennis at the international level. Young players like Ankita Raina, Prakash Amritraj, Ramkumar Ramanathan, Prarthana Thombare, Stephen Amritraj, Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan and Harsh Mankad establishing their names in tennis after Mahesh and Leander.

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Lawn Tennis in India

 

Lawn Tennis in India is one of the popular sports of India. It is a game which can be played either indoors or outdoors on a rectangular court by two persons (in singles) or by four of the same sex (women's and men's double) or by men and women partners (mixed doubles). Contrasting to Cricket, Lawn Tennis has failed to get the hold of the masses in India and still, after 120 years of its beginning, it remains a game for the influential class.

History of Lawn Tennis in India
The game was brought to India by the British Army and civilian officers. Some of the most notable tennis tournaments in the history of the game in the India include Punjab Lawn Tennis Championship held at Lahore in 1885, Bengal Lawn Tennis Championship held at Kolkata in 1887 and the All India Tennis Championships organized at Allahabad in 1910. In the early years, when the Indians were habituated with tennis, the British players dominated the championships. The earliest All India Championships in Tennis were held in 1910, in which both men and women took part.

Development of Lawn Tennis in India
The year 1910 was the beginning of the development of lawn tennis in India in which both men and women took part. B.K Nehru in 1905 and Sardar Nihal Singh in 1908 and later M Saleem, Fayzee brothers with Jagat Mohan Lal made it to last 16 steps at the Wimbledon. Ghaus Mohammad was the first Indian to make in the quarterfinals at Wimbledon in 1939. In the 1960s, the Lawn Tennis observed a golden period. Ramanathan Krishnan received his top rank – No. 4 in Wimbledon in 1962. India continually became the Zonal Champions in the Davis Cup. Ramanathan Krishnan, along with Premjit Lal, SP Misra, Jaidip and RK Khanna as the non-playing captain, pushed India to the Cup finals in 1966.

In the 1970s, Vijay Amritraj with his teammates Sashi Menon, Jasjit Singh and Anand Amritraj brothers took India to World Cup Finals for the second time in 1974. Moreover, Vijay also made it to the quarterfinals of US Open in 1973 and 198, Wimbledon in 1973 and 1974. The son of Ramanathan Krishnan, Ramesh Krishnan won the junior Wimbledon championship and junior French Open title in 1979 and was ranked number 1 junior in the world. He made it to the quarterfinals at Wimbledon (1986) as US Open twice. India won their first Grand Slam title at the French open in the Mixed Doubles in 1997. Although, none of the Indian player has won a Grand Slam Singles title in the Men's or Women's category so far.

Leander Paes won the Wimbledon Championship in 1999, 2003, 2008, 2009, 2010 and in 2015 in the category of Mixed Doubles. In the Mixed Doubles, Sania Mirza won the title of US Open in 2014, French Open in 2012 and Australian Open in 2009. Mahesh Bhupathi won the title of French Open and US Open in the category of Mixed Doubles. Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi won the French Open and Wimbledon together. Sania Mirza won the Wimbledon in 2015 in Women's Doubles. Sumit Nagal won the Wimbledon in 2015 in Boys' Doubles.

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Kabaddi in India, Indian Traditional Sport

  

Kabaddi in India is counted among the most common and widely played traditional sports. There is a popular belief that Kabaddi originated in the Indian state ofTamil Nadu, almost 4,000 years ago. According to a legend, this game came into existence, when a boy hit another boy for his candy. The boy who was hit chased the boy who hit him, and hit him back and ran away. The feature of holding the breath while chasing, was added later when the game evolved. Kabaddi is the game, where one person play against seven people. Kabaddi is also known as the "Game of the Masses" and it has simple, easy to comprehend rules.

The game of Kabaddi requires minimum equipment while having all the ingredients of thrill and excitement and audience appeal. Sometimes, the people enjoy the game of Kabaddi more than any other popular game, like Football or Basketball. This is a team game that requires both skill and power on behalf of the players, and it also combines the characteristics of wrestling and rugby.

Legends Attached to Kabaddi
In India, Kabaddi is quite famous and popular in the state of Punjab. There is also a popular belief that the game has its roots in the way Abhimanyu was killed in Chakravyuha by the Kauravas. Kabaddi is a rather simple and inexpensive game, and it does not require a massive playing area, or any expensive equipments. There are also some other ancient scripts that refers to the existence of Kabaddi in India. In Mahabharata, Arjuna had a unique talent in the game of Kabaddi, as he was able to go inside the wall of enemies, destroy them all and come back unscathed. According to the Buddhist literature, Gautam Buddha used to play Kabaddi for recreation in the early era. Apart from those manuscripts, history also reveals that princes of yore loved playing Kabaddi and took the game as a means to display their strength and won their brides. With due course of time, the game earned a lot of popularity in the Southern Part of Asia. For this inexpensive nature, the game of Kabaddi has become extremely popular in rural India.

History of Kabaddi
Kabaddi is probably the only game of offence and defence in which attack is an individual attempt, while defence is a combined effort. The Tamil Language speaking people know the game in various names like Kabaddi, Sadugudu, Gudugudu, Palinjadugudu and Sadugoodatthi (Tamil). The word 'Kabaddi' may have originated from the Tamil words kai (hand) and pidi (catch).

Naming of Kabaddi
Kabaddi is also known as "Chedugudu" or "Hu-Tu-Tu" in southern parts of India, "Hadudu" (Men) and "Chu - Kit-Kit" (women) in eastern India, and as Kabaddi in northern India. The sport has earned a lot of popularity in the other Asian nations like Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Japan and Pakistan.

Kabaddi in Modern India
In modern times, Kabaddi in India attained National status in the year 1918. The state of Maharashtra is considered to be a pioneer for bringing the game to the National platform. The standard rules and regulations for Kabaddi were also formulated in 1918; however, the rules were brought out in print in the year 1923. An All India Tournament was also organized at Baroda following these rules, in 1923. Since then, the journey of Kabaddi in India has always been towards success and more popularity and numerous tournaments are now organized all over India throughout the year. The game got international exposure for the time during the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games. The game was also introduced in the Indian Olympic Games at Calcutta (now in Kolkata), in 1938. 

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