Despite its universal appeal, sports in India continued to receive step-motherly treatment. But during the last years, there is an increased enthusiasm and new interest in sports, thanks to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Mann Ki Baat programme, Shooter and Olympic medalist Gagan Narang has observed.
In his column in the The Hindustan Times, Narang said PM’s Mann Ki Baat has proven to be an effective medium to ensure that his vision for sports in India emerges from ground and is sustained through people’s participation.
The PM not only talks about the individual achievements of the sportspersons and the sportswomen across different disciples and what they mean for India, but also generates interest among listeners about the various tournaments such as the FIFA Under-17 World Cup which was held in Kolkata last year.
In one of his programmes, he also lauded the achievements of the Indian blind cricket team for winning the T20 World Cup.
The enthusiasm for sports other than cricket is visible, with more and athletes emerging from various fields and becoming marketable faces because of their growing popularity.
