Bhubaneswar will host the country’s first-of-its-kind sports literary festival titled the ‘Ekamra Sports Literary Festival in association with Emerging Sports November 2-3 ushering in a new era in the sports history of the state as well as the country. The mega event will offer the sports lovers of the Temple City an opportunity to learn as well as experience interesting unheard stories from the finest sportspersons and sports journalists in the world. A host of celebrities from across the globe will share their experiences and interact with the audience on the occasion.
With the Ekamra Sports Literary Festival (ESLF) drawing closer, expectations of sports lovers and sports bibliophiles across the state from the first-of-its-kind event is reaching a peak.
The second day of this two-day event promises to be interesting as well as entertaining, as popular cricketers like Mohammed Kaif and Ajinkya Rahane will be taking the stage to talk about the most followed game in the country.
Apart from the cricketing duo, there will be controversial former sprinter Ben Johnson, star Indian gymnast Dipa Karmakar and her coach Bishweswar Nandi, Asian Games gold medallist javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra and thrice Olympic gold medallist Stephanie Rice.
Secularism and cricket
Former India cricketer Mohammed Kaif will begin the proceedings on the second day. Kaif hogged limelight when he led the Indian colts to U-19 World Cup triumph in 2000, but it was the match-winning partnership with Yuvraj Singh en route to his unbeaten 87-run knock in the NetWest Series final against England in 2002 that changed his cricketing career for good.
Kaif was a very fast runner between the wickets and an excellent cover fielder; most notably his agility and throwing accuracy. The Uttar Pradesh player also holds the record for the most number of catches by a fielder in a World Cup match – four catches against Sri Lanka in the 2003 World Cup at Johannesburg. However, his inconsistency in scoring runs, led to his ouster from the Indian squad.
Kaif became the target of trolls on Twitter, for posting pictures of him doing Surya Namaskar December 31, 2016. Some fans on social media did not take too kindly to this. A couple of fans even went off to say that yoga is against Islamic culture.
Kaif however responded to the trolls with a post, “I had Allah in my heart while doing Surya Namaskar. Can’t understand what doing any exercise, Surya Namaskar or gym has to do with religion. It benefits all.”
His opinion on secularism in cricket will certainly be interesting for the audience.
The dirtiest race in history
This is the story of former Jamaica-born Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson, who was stripped of his 100m gold medal won in the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul. Six out of eight finalists in the 100m finals were disqualified as all of them failed the dope test.
He was, however, disqualified from the event three days later after the test for steroids was positive. Forced to return his medal and stricken off from the record books, he eventually admitted to having taken steroids since 1981. But he was not stripped of any of his achievements prior to 1987.
Ben Johnson still remains a very big name in athletics as the shadow of doping has never really left the lucrative world of top class sprinters. He will share the stage with Richard Moore, a freelance journalist from Scotland for a brief session on the ‘Dirtiest race in history’.
Socrates: An unsung hero
The former Brazilin footballer Socrates was always special. A hugely talented player who graduated in medicine yet drank and smoked to excess. The attacking midfielder stood out and not just because of his 6’4” frame.
Fans were enthralled by his inch-perfect passes, his coolness in front of goal and his back heel, the trademark move that singled him out as the most unique footballer of his generation. His medical degree and his political awareness earned him the nickname ‘Doctor Socrates’.
Easily recognisable for his beard and headband, Socrates became the symbol of coolness for an entire generation of football supporters. He is considered to be among the greatest midfielders to play the game ever.
Andrew Downie, who will be present at the event, has put together the most comprehensive and compelling account of this iconic figure in his book – ‘Doctor Socrates’, which was forwarded by Brazilian football legend Pele.
The biography of wrestling
The session will feature Olympic bronze medallist Yogeshwar Dutt (above pic), Asian Games gold medallist Vinesh Phogat and Asiad gold winner Bajrang Punia, who is the latest addition to the event. The trio will engage in a brief discussion on the ‘Biography of wrestling’.
Known as a champion wrestler, Yogeshwar hogged limelight when he won the bronze medal in the 60kg category at the 2012 London Olympics, thus becoming the third Indian wrestler to win an Olympic medal after K D Jadhav in 1952 and Sushil Kumar in 2008 and 2012. He was awarded the Padma Shri and the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award in 2013.
Vinesh, the cousin of Geeta Phogat and Babita Kumari, became the first woman wrestler to win gold at both the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games when she bagged the yellow metal in Jakarta this year. She had previously secured gold at the Gold Coast CWG earlier this year.
Bajrang, who settled for a disappointing silver at the World Championships, had bagged India’s first gold at the 2018 Asian Games.
Dipa Karmakar: The small wonder
Arguably the best gymnast the country has ever produced, Dipa Karmakar will grace the Lit Fest stage with her coach Bishweswar Nandi for the release of her biography – ‘Dipa Karmakar: The small wonder’ – cover. The authors Vimal Mohan and Digvijay Singh Deo will also be there.
The incredible story of Dipa, who won a billion hearts to become the queen of Indian gymnastics with a death-defying vault of faith in the 2014 Rio Olympics, will be told in a memoir to be co-authored by her coach Nandi.
The book will have many untold stories of struggles and triumphs, besides rare archival photos from Dipa’s private album as well as competition photos from the Olympics and Commonwealth Games.
A session with the ‘Spearman’
Neeraj Chopra, the flag-bearer of India at the 2018 Asiad in Indonesia, will share the stage with his coach Uwe Hohn. It will be an interesting session as he will be sharing his experiences about his achievements so far and the hardships he encountered en route to success, including some unknown stories and his future plans.
Neeraj, the 2018 Asian Games and 2018 CWG gold medallist, is still young, but has performed like a mature athlete. The ‘once-in-a-generation talent,’ as called by his previous coach Garry Calvert, is widely considered as one of the best track and field athletes the country has ever produced.
At a tender age of 20, the javelin thrower has a national record throw of 88.06m, which he registered at the Indonesia Asiad. He has already set his eyes on entering the elite 90m club as well as breaking the current world record of 98.48m by Jan Zelezny of Czech Republic.
Swimming into Olympics
The session will be all about Stephanie Rice, a former Australian swimmer and a mentor and entrepreneur. She drew global attention by winning three gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, clocking world record-breaking timings in all three. Rice has joined the expert panel for the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) in India this year. She will enlighten everyone with her story – ‘The making of an Olympic champion’.
A Delicate finishing touch
The two-day event will have a delicate finish with Indian cricketer Ajinkya Rahane gracing the stage for the final session before the thanks-giving ceremony.
Rahane, who is a regular in the Indian Test team, will share his thoughts on saving Test cricket. The Mumbaikar is a perfect combination of talent, consistency and aggression. He has been widely praised by former India skipper MS Dhoni for his batting technique, commitment to the game and discipline .
Rahane has good reflexes and anticipation while fielding, especially at sleeps. He created a new world record of most catches in a Test match by taking eight catches in the first Test against Sri Lanka at Galle in 2015.
Therefore, there is no doubt that an exciting day awaits sports lovers and bibliophiles in Odisha, especially Bhubaneswar, November 3.