It’s a little too late to write about the Tokyo Olympics. Everything that could be said has been said - It has been the best Olympics in terms of the medal count, we got our first gold in track and field events, and we won a hockey medal after 40 years. Even in places where we didn’t win, the fight shown by the Indian athletes was phenomenal, whether it was the women’s hockey team, Deepak Punia in Wrestling, or Aditi Ashok in Golf. By all measures, the Tokyo Olympics has been a big success.

There is another beautiful thing that happened at the Tokyo Olympics. All the Indian athletes, at the end of their game, whether they won or lost, ended it with a Namaste, be it was P V Sindhu after every Badminton game or Mirabai Chanu after every lift. I later learned that it was part of a sensitization program that Joy Bhattacharjya ran for the Indian contingent just before the start of the event, and he recommended it to all the athletes.

Incorporating that little symbolism just took my heart. It was so uniquely Indian. When they won, they performed it with a smile, and when they lost, they did it with a bit of disappointment on their faces. But they all ended their performance with a Namaste.

It told me that this India is different. To me, it symbolized that we have arrived, that we belong on the international stage, that we can compete and win against the best in the world and do it in our own way.

And that we won the most number of medals ever is just a by-product. It reminds me of a quote from Bill Walsh - Winners act like winners before they’re winners.

This new and confident India at the Olympics was a fabulous thing to watch.

Best,
Kaddy

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