Sachin has adopted a village, Puttamraju Kandriga, in NelloreIt wasn’t too long ago that the landscape of Indian sports was dominated by just one sport - cricket. But over the last decade or so, the nation has borne witness to the emergence of icons from other sports as well.In a country where almost half the demographic is under the age of 25, sportspersons are a huge influence on the young. These stalwarts can count not only millions of Indians amongst their fans, but also rising superstars of sport as well. The reason they are the most inspiring figures from the world of sport lies not only in their achievements while donning the tricolour, but also because of what they have given back to sport and society. Here are our picks, in no particular order :
#1 Sachin Tendulkar
A book’s title summed it up perfectly – “If Cricket is Religion, Sachin is God”. Arguably the greatest Indian sportsperson (so far, we hope), the greatest Indian cricketer and one of the greatest cricketers of all time, “The Little Master” is a household name in the country. Known for his unassuming nature, Sachin preferred to let his bat do the bragging. It would suprise many to know that he was a bully in his childhood and would pick fights with other kids at school. His older brother Ajit introduced him to cricket to channel his energy at age 11 and the rest is history.
All the books and videos about him do not do him justice, though the wonder that encompassed him could be perceived in a single stroke he played. Oft-repeated as they are, his cricketing records don't cease to be any less amazing - 24-year career, 663 international matches, over 34,000 runs and 100 tons. But it was the subtler things that also made him the player he was - the 140* against Kenya that he scored just a few days after his father's death that kept India's hopes alive in the '99 World Cup, becoming the youngest to score a test century in England at age 17 and the back-to-back centuries against Australia in Sharjah that won the series in '98.
The reverence toward Sachin is also because of his efforts to pay it forward. The Master Blaster sponsors 200 underprivileged children every year through Apnalaya, a Mumbai-based NGO. In 2010, he raised 1.02 crores via Twitter for the Crusade Against Cancer foundation. In 2013, Sachin spent 12 hours on NDTV to raise 7 crores for the building of basic facilities, mainly toilets for girls, in 140 government schools in the country.
#2 MC Mary Kom
From humble beginnings in Manipur to winning a bronze medal at the 2012 London Olympics, MC Mary Kom is an inspiration to sportspersons and more importantly, Indian women. Hailing from a socio-economically underdeveloped region did not deter her from becoming a world beater.
Mary Kom is the only woman boxer across nations to win medals in each of six world amateur boxing championships. Her skills earned her the distinction of becoming India’s first woman boxer to win a gold medal at the 2014 Asian Games. The ace Indian pugilist has confirmed that she will retire after the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Mary Kom is a mother to twin sons. She founded the Mary Kom Regional Boxing Foundation in Langol, Imphal to nurture promising young boxers from financially weak backgrounds. Mary Kom is a recipient of the Padma Bhushan and Padma Shree, India’s third and fourth-highest civilian honours. She has also won the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna and the Arjuna Awards, the highest sporting awards in the country.
#3 Dhanraj Pillay
Another Indian icon who started out in Spartan settings, Dhanraj Pillay was introduced to hockey by his elder brother Ramesh who had played for India. Learning his craft on the soft, muddy grounds of the Ordnance Factory Colony in Khadki, Pune, Dhanraj only had broken sticks and discarded balls at his disposal. He idolised Indian Olympic gold medal winner Mohammed Shahid’s dribbling skills and developed into a fast, potent striker.
Dhanraj Pillay is the only player to have played in four Olympics (1992, 1996, 2000, and 2004), four World Cups (1990, 1994, 1998, and 2002), four Champions Trophies (1995, 1996, 2002, and 2003), and four Asian Games (1990, 1994, 1998, and 2002). India won the Asian Games (1998) and Asia Cup (2003) under his captaincy. He was also the highest goal scorer in the Bangkok Asian Games and was the only Indian player to figure in the World XI during the 1994 World Cup at Sydney.
Pillay is a Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna and Padma Shri Awardee. He aims to develop the progress of hockey in India by establishing a hockey academy in Mumbai, which will be funded by the sale of empty printer cartridges to a recycling firm.
#4 Rahul Dravid
Sometimes, the spotlight can be too small. As it was with Rahul Dravid, the silent warrior of Indian cricket. Sachin Tendulkar’s cast shadow was long indeed, but that did not deter Dravid from being the best cricketer he could be, and he got his due eventually. “The Wall” is famed for his iron will, stoicism and dependability.
Born in Indore to a Marathi family, Dravid moved to Bengaluru as a child. He was nicknamed “Jammy” because his father worked for Kissan and his mother would send him a bottle of jam every day for lunch. Dravid made his test debut for India against England in 1996 and made a patient 95 in 6 hours. Dravid’s ODI career took off in his maiden World Cup in 1999, when he scored 145 and formed a crucial 237-run partnership with Sachin Tendulkar.
The highlight of Dravid’s test career was the 180 he made at the Eden Gardens in 2001 against a marauding Australian team who were looking for their 17th straight test win. His historic 375-run stand with VVS Laxman turned the match around and made India only the 2nd team to win a test after following-on.
Dravid is the fourth-highest run scorer in Test cricket, after Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting and Jaques Kallis and is only the second Indian cricketer, after Tendulkar to score 10,000 runs both in Tests and in ODIs. In 2004, after completing his century against Bangladesh in Chittagong, he became the first and the only player till date to score a century in all the ten Test-playing countries. As of October 2012, he holds the record for the most number of catches taken by a player (non-wicket-keeper) in Test cricket, with 210
Rahul Dravid is involved with the Children's Movement for Civic Awareness (CMCA) and is a supporter of UNICEF and its AIDS Awareness Campaign. Since 2014, Dravid is a member of the board of advisors for the GoSports Foundation and has mentored potential Indian Olympians and Paralympians.
#5 PT Usha
Possibly India’s greatest track and field athlete, the “Golden Girl” is another stalwart who came from austerity. Pilavullakandi Thekkeparambil Usha came from the obscure village of Payyoli, in Kozhikode, Kerala and went on to represent India at three Olympics. “The queen of track and field” set many national and Asia records in her career and came closest to winning an Olympic medal in the 400 meters hurdles event of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. She lost the bronze by 1/100th of a second.
PT Usha won 5 golds and a silver in the 1985 Jakarta Asian Athletic meet and 4 golds and 1 silver in the 1986 in the Seoul Asian Games. She came to be known as “Asia’s sprint queen after” her exploits. She currently runs the Usha School of Athletics in Kerala.
#6 Vishwanathan Anand
“Vishy” was the original Indian chess prodigy. After picking up chess from his mother and a family friend at age six, Anand became national champion aged 14. At age 15, he became the youngest Indian to become an International Master and repeated the feat with the Grandmaster title.
Anand won his first undisputed World Championship in 2007 and repeated the feat five times in 2008, 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2014. He won the World Rapid Chess Championships 6 times (1999-05), Chess Classic 9 times and the Melody Amber 5 times. He has also won 3 consecutive Advanced Chess tournaments.
Vishwanathan Anand is on the board of advisors for Olympic Gold Quest, an organisation aimed at nurturing talented young sportsters who have the potential to win medals at the Olympic games.
#7 Sania Mirza
India’s most successful women’s tennis player proves that hard work and determination pay off. Being a woman athlete in a country that doesn’t give sports its due is bad enough, but a singles career that wasn’t gaining traction might have ended a magnificent career prematurely.
Mirza coped with a wrist injury that impeded her singles career by quitting that format in 2013 and focusing on her doubles career. The move paid unimaginable dividends and she is now one half of the #1 ranked women’s pair in the world, along with ace Martina Hingis.
The icon from Hyderabad is the first woman from South Asia to be appointed a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador. She is the ambassador for her home state, Telangana. She is the first woman athlete to win over $5 million in prize money and win 5 pro-tennis titles.
#8 Bhaichung Bhutia
The man who brought Indian football into the limelight excelled in other sports like basketball and badminton as a child. He is India’s most capped player and the first Indian to sign a contract with a European club, Bury FC (England).
The “Sikkimese Sniper” is an Arjuna and Padma Shri awardee. He won the “Player of the Tournament” award in the 2009 Nehru Cup, the same event where he became the first Indian player to be capped a 100 times.
Bhutia won the third season of the dance show Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa in 2009. He donated part of his winnings to the victims of Cyclone Aila, which left 339 dead and more than a million people homeless across Bangladesh and India in 2009. After being affected in the 2009 Sikkim earthquake, Bhutia joined hands with several Bollywood actors including Rahul Bose and Neha Dhupia to raise money for the victims.
#9 Saina Nehwal
The women’s world #1 is only the second Indian to achieve this feat and the first Indian woman to do so. The Hyderabad-based shuttler also has a brown belt in karate. At the age of sixteen, Saina created history by winning the prestigious Asian Satellite Badminton tournament (India Chapter) twice, becoming the first player to do so.
Saina won an Olympic bronze medal at the London Games in 2012 and is the recipient of the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, the Arjuna and Padma Shri awards. She is one of the most inspiring young athletes in the country.
#10 Sushil Kumar
The two-time Olympic medal winner is another Indian athlete who came from humble beginnings. His cousin Sandeep, who inspired him to take up the sport, had to give up because their family could only support one wrestler.
Sushil made it to an Olympic bronze in 2008 despite the absence of sufficient funds and facilities, with his family sending him ghee, vegetables and milk. He is India’s most successful wrestler in international competition, having won gold medals in the 2010 and 2014 Commonwealth Games and the 2010 World Championships.
The 32-year-old bettered his Olympic record by clinching a silver medal at the 2012 London Olympics. Sushil Kumar refused a 50,00,000 endorsement deal for a surrogate ad for a leading liquor brand.
