Boundary Lab, a book by the Bengaluru-based lawyer Nandan Kamath, won the coveted Sports Book of the Year award at the Ekamra Sports Book Awards, here at the India Habitat Centre in New Delhi. In the book, Kamath explores how sport, a microcosm of society, tests human limits and societal norms, influencing broader societal changes through its governance and the debates it sparks. Kenyan steeplechase legend Ezekiel Kemboi, a double Olympic champion and record four-time world champion, was at hand to give away the awards. The Awards ceremony held as the final act of the day-long Ekamra Sports Literature Festival (ESLF) season six, also saw Penguin Random House pick up the best Publisher title, with three of their published works winning on the day.
Cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin’s book co-authored by journalist Siddharth Monga titled I have the streets- A Kutti Cricket Story, won the Cricket Book of the Year award.
As many as 21 titles from 11 publishing houses were vying for recognition in six different award categories. Among the winners was Witness, an autobiography by Olympic medal winning wrestler Sakshi Malik and co-authored by sports journalist from the Hindu Group, Jonathan Selvaraj, exploring the dark side of human sports while bringing out the human side of Sakshi. Madhav Nayak’s A Murder is Fixed won in the Sports Fiction of the Year category.
Aditya Iyer’s Gully Gully, explores the profound impact of cricket on India revealing cricket’s role in shaping the nation’s identity. This is his first book and is setin the context of the author’s travels around the country during the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup. The book won the Special Jury award and was also an engrossing session hosted by N1 Media CEO Mr. Arup Ghosh.
Sundeep Misra, Festival Director ESLF, wrapped up the day perfectly saying, “It was a day of experiencing fantastic stories of human endeavour, courage, grit and passion, come to life. Sports as the legendary Pargat Singh said today, builds character and each of the books featured today is testament to how it does so. On behalf of my whole team, I want to thank all the athletes, past and present, sports administrators and officials and most of all the authors, who took their precious time out on a busy sporting weekend, to make it to the ESLF season six and help make it a grand success.”
Among the books featured in the live sessions, US-based marathoner, journalist and sportswriter Sarah Gearhart came in from New York to talk about her work, We Share the Sun: The Incredible Journey of Kenya’s Legendary Running Coach Patrick Sang and the Fastest Runners on Earth while chess journalist Peter Doggers’ flew in from Amsterdam to tell the audience the process of putting together The Chess Revolution: Understanding the Power of an Ancient Game in the Digital Age.
Other compelling sessions included one with Martin Owens, the Reliance Foundation Head Coach at the Youth Sport Odisha High Performance Centre alongside upcoming sprint talent Animesh Kujur, on the trials and tribulations of being a top sprinter in the country.
Hockey legends Pargat Singh and Dilip Tirkey, the former now into politics and the latter the President of Hockey India came together on a panel with the Sports Secretary of Tamil Nadu to explain the role of the state in the development of young athletes.
Finally, the most soul-searching session of the day featured top women athletes Pinki Pramanik and Dutee Chand, the latter the first openly gay athlete of the country, sharing their heart-wrenching journeys of trying to pursue their passion, while overcoming severe regulatory and social challenges related to gender discrimination.
Ekamra Sports Book Awards
1. Autobiography of the Year- Witness by Sakshi Malik & Jonathan Selvaraj (Juggernaut Books)
2. Sports Book Of The Year- Boundary Lab by Nandan Kamath (Penguin Random House)
3. Publisher of The Year- Penguin Random House India
4. Special Jury Award- Gully Gully: Travels Around India during the 2023 World Cup by Aditya Iyer (Penguin Random House)
5. Cricket Book of The Year- I have the streets- A Kutti Cricket Story by R.Ashwin & Sidharth Monga
6. Sports Fiction Of The Year- A Murder is Fixed by Madhav Nayak (Harper Collins)
