
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 Malik in an interview with The Morning Standard.
"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, Malik 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 Malik 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, Malik proved 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 TMS.
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.”