3 min readMar 15, 2026 11:21 AM IST
The ninth edition of Playwrite brought together athletes, journalists and writers to reflect on the deeper relationship between sport, resilience and the human mind, highlighting disciplines and stories that often remain outside the mainstream sporting conversation.
Among the speakers was Harjinder Singh Jindi, founder of the Indian Ice Hockey Association, who spoke about the slow but steady growth of ice hockey in India. In conversation with Mubarak Sandhu, he discussed the challenges of building awareness around winter sports such as ice hockey and skiing in a country where they remain largely unfamiliar.
Another highlight was skier and mountaineer Bhavani Thekkada, whose journey into the sport began despite growing up in Coorg without ever seeing snow. She credited her exposure as an NCC cadet for introducing her to skiing and spoke candidly about the financial barriers associated with the sport. With a pair of skis costing nearly Rs 2 lakh, she recalled competing in her first race with borrowed equipment, underscoring how determination often compensates for a lack of resources.
Thekkada also recounted a difficult moment in Iceland, when she had to endure temperatures of around –18 degrees C for more than three hours outside a closed airport while travelling for a competition. The episode, she said, nearly made her quit the sport. “I was ready to give it up right there,” she recalled, adding that encouragement from her sister helped her persevere.
The discussion also turned to the challenges faced by women in sports journalism. Mona Parthasarathy and veteran journalist Neeru Bhatia shared their experiences of working their way up in a field long dominated by men. Both spoke of the perseverance required to remain in the profession, noting that those challenges ultimately strengthened their resolve and professional confidence.
Para-table tennis player Mukesh Kumar emphasised the cognitive dimension of sport, telling the audience that the constant decision-making required during competition strengthens mental resilience. “When you learn to make multiple decisions per minute under pressure, you become better equipped to handle life’s challenges,” he said.
Playwrite itself was conceptualised by Vivek Atray, Chitranjan Agarwal and Hardeep Chandpuri to create a dialogue between the worlds of sport and literature. The event also featured a discussion around a book by the father-son duo Vijay Lokapalli and Akshay Lokapalli, which revisits landmark moments in Indian sporting history.
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The book chronicles iconic achievements such as Sachin Tendulkar’s 100th international century at the Asia Cup 2012, Neeraj Chopra’s Olympic gold and Mirabai Chanu’s silver medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, while also recalling lesser-known feats such as Ashish Kumar’s bronze at the 2010 Commonwealth Games, the luge career of Shiva Keshavan, and Anju Bobby George’s bronze at the 2003 World Championships in Athletics.
Speakers and participants agreed that sport shapes both physical and mental strength, a theme that lay at the heart of the ninth Playwrite gathering. By bringing together stories from the field and reflections from the page, the event sought to underline how sport can also serve as a powerful tool to address the growing concerns around mental health among young people.
