Hundreds of participants, including defence officers and professionals, had gathered for a national- open-category shooting competition held a couple of years ago in Delhi. From the crowd emerged a paraplegic man with his rifle.
He won the silver medal, narrowly missing gold to an Army officer. Though the organisers offered to award him the medal on the ground, he insisted on climbing up the podium using his walker.
The scene, almost cinematic, is from the real story of Paralympian Sidhartha Babu, a man who has brought laurels to India but still awaits due recognition from his home state.
Sidhartha, who hails from Thiruvananthapuram, represented India at the 2020 and 2024 Paralympics held in Tokyo and Paris, respectively. In 2022, he clinched the gold and set a record at the Asian Para Games in Hangzhou. In August this year, he added another gold at the National Para-Shooting Championship in Pune.
“I always wanted to be a hero,” Sidhartha laughs. “I somehow believed that mastering guns would make me one. I pestered my parents for an airgun to sharpen my skills.”
Parallelly, he also developed a deep interest in martial arts. Probably because of the ‘heroism’ factor. “I excelled in karate and kickboxing. In fact, I became a trainer by the time I was in my late teens,” recalls the 45-year-old.
“Studies always took the backseat. However, I did a paramedical course and got a job at Regional Cancer Centre, Thiruvananthapuram.”
But in 2002, his life changed forever. A car accident fractured his spinal cord and left his legs paralysed. “One year of bed rest. No more martial arts… no more shooting practice. Everything became a question mark,” he says.
Sidhartha, however, was determined to reclaim his life. First, he decided to make up for his earlier neglect of studies. “I did PG in computer application at College of Engineering, Thiruvananthapuram. It helped me grow in various dimensions. Teachers, friends, and the campus itself left me buoyed.”
By 2008, he was back on the range, firing again with focus and discipline. Grit took him from state-level contests to Paralympics.
“I realised that life in itself is a motivation. If you depend on others to derive motivation, it means that you haven’t understood life,” he smiles.
Despite Sidhartha’s achievements, he awaits worthy recognition from the Kerala government. “While those who participated in the Asian Games were being given `25 lakh, I was offered `2 lakh after repeatedly writing letters to the authorities,” he notes.
He refused the amount, feeling undervalued. “It is not about the money, but value and recognition in one’s own state,” he clarifies.
“Athletes from other states are getting hefty sums and a secure job. Several states invited me to represent them, but I declined as this is my land.”
Authorities, Sidhartha says, cite “no legal provisions” for extending better support. “There should be a systemic change. And this is not just about me. I am voicing the anguish experienced by numerous others,” he says.
Sidhartha, however, hasn’t let apathy bog him down. Instead, he has turned his attention to a growing list of new pursuits: wood carving, archery and photography.
Now, the ace shooter has set his sights on the 2028 Paralympics. “A true sportsperson never shies away from challenges,” Sidhartha