Unsung heroes, not a burden

Paralympic winners are finally getting their due, but much work remains

Filmmaker Kabir Khan’s biopic Chandu Champion (2024), which he co-wrote with Sumit Arora and Sudipto Sarkar, brings to light the attitudinal and infrastructural barriers that India’s first Paralympic gold medalist Murlikant Petkar had to overcome throughout his life.

Actor Kartik Aaryan’s excellent portrayal of Petkar fills a huge gap in the public memory of this athlete’s contributions. Petkar, who won an individual gold medal in the 50-metre freestyle event at the 1972 Heidelberg Paralympics, received the Padma Shri only in 2018.

Aparna Jain’s book Boys Will Be Boys: Inspiring Stories for Smart Kids (2019), published by Westland,