New Delhi: As India gears up for Rio Olympics 2016, India’s most decorated Olympian Balbir Singh Dosanjh and Minster of State, Prime Minister’s Office Jitendra Singh unveiled “My Olympic Journey”, a book chronicling the stories of 50 Indian Olympians.
The book, penned by sports journalist Digvijay Singh Deo and visual strategy consultant Amit Bose was launched at a gala event in the capital attended by the who’s who of Indian sport. Among those present were Olympic medallists K Malleswari, Gagan Narang, Khel Ratna Awardees Manavjit Singh Sandhu and Ronjan Sodhi, Former Indian Cricket Team captain Bishen Singh Bedi, BCCI Treasurer Anirudh Chaudhry, members of the Indian Olympic Association and sportspersons from different disciplines.
Published by Penguin Random House, MY OLYMPIC JOURNEY is a collection of stories that highlights the trials and tribulations of 50 athletes in their journey in making to the Olympics.
Speaking on why they chose such a topic, Digvijay Singh Deo, said, “It’s imperative that more literature is published that highlights the struggles of our athletes in actually reaching the Olympics, rather than just placing. Far too many times, there have been instances where the pleas of these warriors have gone unnoticed. This book is an attempt to inspire the next generation, while bringing to prominence unknown aspects of the journey.”
The entire book revolves around first-hand accounts of 50 Indian Olympians including Leander Paes, Abhinav Bindra, Karnam Malleswari, Milkha Singh, PT Usha and Anjali Bhagwat and many more. Going behind the scenes, it provides many inspiring tales, providing unveiled close ups to the lives of these athletes.
India’s only individual Olympic champion Abhinav Bindra in a video message commended the authors on theor work in bringing to the fore stories of struggle that do not get reflected in the media.
Balbir Singh Dosanjh also spoke in favour of the book. “I think a book like this is long overdue. Until and unless people really understand what goes into reaching the Olympics, the respect for an athlete will not grow, and this book provides exactly that.”
The 376 page book is priced at INR 299. It is available in all major bookstores. It is also available on Amazon and Flipkart.
The event was presented by HERO Motocorp, with CNN News-18 as the Media Partner and The Hyatt Regency as Hospitality Partner.
