Sport is more than just competition. For people with disabilities, it can be a path to visibility, dignity, and self-worth,” writes Deepa Malik, the first Indian woman Paralympic medallist, in her foreword to India’s Paralympians (HarperCollins). This sets the tone of the new children’s book. It urges the readers to honour 20 champions from India who have left an indelible mark in eleven sports in the Paralympics. Every year, the para-athletes undergo intense disciplined training to participate in the international games. Through a brief history, the introduction to the book highlights how such sports events for athletes with disabilities, though on the rise now, can be traced back to the 19th and early 20th centuries.

The concise biographies of the athletes enable us to understand which cities they come from, the unfortunate accidents or impairments at birth, their commitment, their discovery by coaches, and their journey towards winning championships. For instance, the story of the 18-year-old archer Sheetal Devi, who was born with underdeveloped arms, informs us of how she studied American archer Matt Stutzman’s use of his legs and feet. This helped her employ a similar technique to become the only female archer in the world to shoot with her feet.