Football is not new to us. It probably courses through the veins of a majority of the Eastern, North Eastern and Southern belts of our country. Also, having been an essential part of India’s sporting culture for about 100 years, the popularity of the beautiful game has proliferated into the 21^st century through a vicarious but healthy fan base across the nation for several international leagues and teams. A clear proof of leading sport channels catering and altering their programming to service international game screenings, bringing down elite teams and athletes as well as setting up academies by corporates.

The relevance and importance of sport in a developing country like us is humungus. An important fact to note is that about 22% of India’s population is below the poverty line and children from this segment don’t have access to some of the basic necessities for growth and survival. Using sport and especially, an inclusive one, like football as catalyst to bridge this gap can is the calling of the hour.

A testament of what sport can do to empower the lesser endowed is through world class players like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo who have come from such backgrounds where they, as children, did not have the privileges that they enjoy today. Football was the sport that helped them overcome their hardships and paved the way for them to become the legends that they are today. And the spirit of creating heroes within you is something that is the need of the hour today for not just Urban but rural psyches also.

The answer to the above was given to the nation on the 6th December 2013 when India was officially declared as the host nation for the FIFA U-17 World Cup.

This announcement was a watershed moment in the history of development of football in our country. India had arrived finally at the international football scene and would be rubbing shoulders with the big players of the world. By hosting the most illustrious tournament for football at an international level, India has a big shoes to fill in, especially at nurturing talent at the grassroots.

As the opening game dawns closer, the Government of India has initiated multiple campaigns to bring the sport to every nook and corner of the country; one of them being the Mission XI Million program (MXIM). A collaboration between the Government of India and the All India Football Federation (AIFF), Mission XI Million envisions to introduce the world’s most popular sport to 11 million students, parents, coaches, and teachers through workshops, seminars, contact programs as well as competitions before the World Cup. This goal will be achieved by taking the game to 12,000 schools in 37 cities, to encourage and incentivize teachers to get children to play the sport on a regular basis.

Since the game can be played in different formats, MXIM will help stimulate the development of the small sided formats (4 vs 4, 5 vs 5) in schools which would help students gain confidence, learn how to play the game and absorb its core values. The words of Prime Minister Narendra Modi summarize an opportunity of this magnitude. He has termed this as a breakthrough in the revolution of sport in our country and expects the whole year to be an atmosphere of football in schools and colleges. Within a span of few months, this program has already touched 1 million children across the country.

Along with the federation and the government, several corporates have heavily invested in the development of talent. Corporates have  supported this cause and paved way for an opportunity by introducing and letting thousands of children in the country experience the sport.

India is a land of opportunities and the potential that our billion plus population is immense. When revolutions like MXIM kick in at the core of the country, wheels of change begin to churn fortunes. And once this wheel starts spinning it, there’s no stopping it.

(The author is Country Head – Commercial Banking and in-charge of Sports Vertical, IndusInd Bank)

There is a prominent narrative that we hear when we mention sport and India and it is that we as a country seem to lack a “sporting culture”. While we are all aware of the country’s rich cultural heritage, diversity and unique traditions, what is arcane to the masses is that sport has also been a major part of this illustrious history.

For any athlete to master a sport, physical perfection is of utmost importance as it allows the athlete to improve his or her performance. We see this trait in top athletes like Cristiano Ronaldo, LeBron James and Virat Kohli. The attainment of physical perfection was one endeavour that was very close to ancient Indians too. Dehvada or the “way of the body” was considered one of the ways to full realisation, and the development of the body was as important as spiritual growth.

The myth that India has no “sporting culture” cannot be further from the truth. In fact, our nation’s sporting culture was present even in Ancient India. Much like in Ancient Greece, many of the sports played in Ancient India were derived from actions one would conduct in war. The Indus Valley civilization (2500-1550 BC) played sport with weapons that were used in hunting and in war, like the bow and arrow, the toran (javelin) and the chakra (discus). This extended beyond just the physical. Games were created to inculcate a mindset for war strategy.

Chaturanga was played to create and master military strategy and it gave birth to what we fondly know today as Chess. While the original form of the game relied heavily on luck (as it was played with dice), it evolved into a synthesis of both strategy and good fortune. In the Mahabharata, we see a version of Chaturanga played with dice. The Manas Olhas (1135 AD) speaks about other sports that were present such as Bharashram (weightlifting), Bharamanshram (walking) and Mall-Stambha (a different type of wrestling). Swimming, sword fighting, wrestling and ball games were also popular among students in Nalanda and Taxila.

Martial arts is one form of sport that one associates with the Far East but what is not known by many is that its origins are Indian. Kalaripayattu, an ancient martial art form that originated from Kerala, draws a remarkable resemblance to Karate. This form was heavily used in training warriors in the Sangam era and is considered to be one of the oldest fighting systems in existence. It involves using knives and swords and was an equally powerful unarmed self-defence technique. With the advent of Buddhism, this art form spread across the Far East countries. Since monks never carried any weapons, as it was against their religious beliefs, they would often spread this art form along with the teachings of Buddha. The relationship between the student and teacher we see in Judo and Karate also resembles the perennial guru-shishya tradition.

Fast forward to the early 20th century, pre-independence era, India still had individuals accomplishing remarkable feats on the international stage with the likes of Dhyan Chand and Roop Singh gaining recognition in Hockey during the Olympics; Vijay Merchant in cricket; and Mohammed Salim in international football. Vijay was one of India’s best cricketers in the pre-independence era averaging a score of 71 every game, only second to Don Bradman. Mohammed Salim played for Celtic Football Club in Scotland and was the first Indian footballer to play in Europe. His mesmerising technique and ball control (even more impressive given his insistence on playing barefoot against booted opponents) resulted in much adoration from the Celtic fans.

To suggest that India does not have a sporting culture is incorrect. In recent times this culture might be dormant, but in no way is it non-existent. Throughout Indian history we see instances where sport was integral to society and played a critical role in shaping culture. Hence, it is our responsibility to reawaken and nurture what is deeply intrinsic to us Indians – Sport!

(The author is Country Head – Commercial Banking and in-charge of Sports Vertical, IndusInd Bank)