
The story of Dawn Fraser has been novelised and adapted for a film. In 1974, journalist Moti Nandi wrote a Bengali novel Koni that was turned into a film ten years later as Kony, based on Fraser, an Australian swimmer who won four Olympic golds, battled poverty, social stigma and still went on to become a champion. Kony had a particular catchphrase that later became many sports-loving Bengali’s words for self-motivation – "Fight Koni Fight".
Although Koni is a fictional character, many Konis can be found in India’s sports history and their list of struggles are longer than Koni’s. Imagine a woman being paralysed twice in life, being in wheelchairs for decades, and yet managing to win a Silver Medal in a high-prestige event, and creating an impact to change many lives with her administrative decisions. It seems impossible, right? However, that’s the story of Deepa Malik. Her 312-page autobiography Bring It On (HarperCollins), is a candid account of her experiences.
Double trouble
“As a child, when I went through the tough days of paralysis, I learnt that the key to good health was to remain physically active. Hence, after overcoming paralysis, I started doing a lot of outdoor activities to prove many naysayers wrong who commented about my body. Biking, cycling and hiking became my go-to sports activities. It came out of a rebellion. However, that was not the case in the latter half of my life," said Deepa in an interview with us.
"When I suffered paralysis for the second time in 1999, I was on the lookout for every medium that would support my desire to remain an athlete. I also had to keep my mind active. Seven years later, I learnt about parasports and that changed a lot of things”, she added.
In the Rio 2016 Paralympics, almost one and a half decades later after getting diagnosed with a spinal tumour, Deepa created history by becoming the first Indian woman to win a medal in the Paralympic Games. She found success in shot put, a sport she had chosen out of compulsion.
“Due to my severe disability, I had a limited torso balance. Hence I could not opt for TT or badminton. I tried my hands at swimming but it gave me skin problems. I was in my 40s, had hormonal changes, and had gained weight. So I had to look for something like shot put or javelin. Also, these were the sports that I could practise staying at home,” says the sportswoman who stays in Noida.
Depressing days
Although Deepa created history in the world of Indian para-sports, her journey was marred by uncertainties, and at one point it seemed almost impossible to make it through to the biggest stage. The prologue of her book reads, “Not making it to the London Paralympics in 2012 should have marked the end of my sporting career. Instead, the day the games opened in London, I was in New Delhi, at Rashtrapati Bhavan. At a glittering investiture ceremony, I received the Arjuna Award from the President of India, in recognition of my sporting achievements. This award, a dream for so many athletes, filled me with both pride and humility. Yet my heart yearned to be in London. I could have just accepted the award and returned to my home in Ahmednagar, content in having proved to the naysayers that all my sacrifices — leaving my home, my daughters, my restaurant—were worth this moment. I could have retired at my peak. But that’s not who I am.”
Through intense training and hard work, Deepa aproved to everyone who doubted her possibility of making it to the Paralympics after she missed a spot in the London Paralympics. “I did my training holistically and scientifically introducing proper diet and proper injury management system. My body had different dietary needs, hormonal changes, paralysis and a kidney to take care of. My mental well-being also needed to be taken care of as so much doubt was going on regarding me. However, through special training, I overcame those challenges. We worked on biomechanics and took sports massages that I had never done before. In addition, four trainers in sync with each other worked hard to take care of all the needs I had,” she tells us.
The autobiography also portrays the pain that Malik suffered since childhood. However, the author calls it a celebration of life. The book reminds readers of what it is to live with purpose. As Malik turns 25 this year in a wheelchair, she decided to launch the book celebrating a new birth.
“One fine day, my children made a birthday cake for me and called it my ‘phoenix birthday’. I looked at the cake and felt validated. I realised I was successful in living differently and that is why my children realised that I had had another birth when I got my second paralysis.”
(Written by Akash Chatterjee)