We are predominantly a ‘young’ country. Why, you ask? Well, we’ve got a huge population under the age of 25, all raring to go.
There’s a sizeable chunk living it up outside the country, making a better life for themselves. Then there’s a crop here, dealing with issues of national importance – such as how much gel should be moussed onto hair, which way to swipe a credit card and what hotspots to be seen at over the weekend.
Truly, this leaves us with little time for more academic pursuits like Facebook and Twitter. But there’s a bunch of youngsters who are stepping up to the plate, grabbing podium finishes and making stellar debuts on the international stage.
Here are a few names you should know.
(Note of Warning: They might just make you seem like under-achievers.)
Sumit Nagal
While some of us were practising our hand at wooing that cute girl, Sumit Nagal was practising his forehand on the court. This Wimbeldon champ is all of 17 and the toast of India currently. Sumit is from Haryana and has been playing tennis since the age of seven.
Yes, even while we were laughing at snot and poop jokes, he was out on the court doing his thing. When he was 10 years old, he was spotted by Mahesh Bhupathi and went to his academy soon after. Sumit won the 2015 Wimbeldon’s Boys Doubles title with his Vietnamese partner.
Satnam Singh Bhamara
Satnam Singh is from Punjab and, contrary to most stereotypes, isn’t in the sport of bhangra dancing or wrestling bouts.
Satnam Singh created history when in 2015 he became the first player from India to be drafted into the NBA when the team Dallas Mavericks chose him. Satnam has represented the Indian National Basketball team at the 2011 and 2013 FIBA Asia Championship. And if these numbers don’t get the ladies swooning, these should: the boy is a heady 7 feet 2 inches tall and wears a size 22 basketball shoe.
Sajan Prakash
Sajan Prakash is a 21-year-old Indian swimmer who broke all records when he won six gold medals at the 35th National Games held in 2014. Unconfirmed sources say that Sajan, who is from Kerala, was stopped just in time before he caught his flight to Dubai and was convinced to stay back.
Sajan currently works with Indian Railways in Bangalore. He also holds the national record in the 200 Meter butterfly and 1500 Meter freestyle events.
Dipa Karmakar
She’s all of 22 years old and is already taking the world of gymnastics by storm.
Dipa Karmakar is from Agartala and is an Indian artistic gymnast. Her name will go down in history as the first Indian woman gymnast to win a bronze medal at the 2014 Commonwealth games. While this is an achievement in itself, she has also become one of the four women who successfully landed the very tough (and dangerous) Produnova vault.
While heartbreaks turn our world upside down, this girl is somersaulting and landing feet first and in style. Kind of puts things into perspective, doesn’t it?
Dipika Pallikal
Dipika Pallikal is an Indian squash player who incidentally also became the first Indian woman to break into the top 10 in WSA rankings. She achieved this feat in December 2012 at the age of 21.
When our worlds spun around romance and rage, hers stopped at racquets and rankings. In 2014, she, along with Joshna Chinappa won the gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in the Squash Women’s Doubles event. She has also been given the Arjuna Award in 2012 and the Padma Shri in 2014.
Still want to talk about winning that bowling game in the local arena?
(Mansi Shah is founder of the blog Damsel in Destress which reviews experiences as varied as spas, books and plays. Mansi is, by her own admission, “clueless” at 30 with an easy penchant for humour.)
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