Dr. Kanishka Pandey - To Excel in Any Field, the Commitment, Passion, Zeal, Dedication, and Effort Required Are Immense (Head of Sports Research Centre at Institute of Management Technology)

Kanishka Pandey, a 28-year-old sports researcher who came into limelight for his innovative and novel ideas for promotion of Sports Culture. His launch of Sports Literacy Mission and his Khel Praveshika has been well received by both the academic and sports fraternity.

He was instrumental in inclusion of Sports Philosophy in higher education curriculum in Rajasthan ( Banswara University became the first university to include sports philosophy).

Last year, he petitioned the Hon’ble Supreme Court for inclusion of Right to Sports as a fundamental right under article 21A. He seems to have understood the actual problem that Indian Sports is grappling with, looking at the issues from a completely new perspective and coming up with solutions.

He is currently the Head of Sports Research Centre at Institute of Management Technology, Ghaziabad.

1. Tell us about your background and journey.

So, this dates back to 2013 when I had just completed my graduation. I was preparing for the Law Faculty entrance exam. That year I could not get through. It was a setback and actually came as a shock to me. First time in my life, I had attempted something without success.

So it was a rough and tough patch. During one of those days, I had an interaction with my father. He reminded me of my days as a sportsperson. He reminded me of the numerous matches I had played, all the medals I won, and also the times when I tasted defeat.

He said, “whenever you lost a match, what did you do? Did you get depressed? No. So if defeat or failure couldn’t bog you down in the badminton court, why do you let it demotivate you in life?” Those words kept ringing in my head. That night when I went to bed, numerous thoughts starting coming up.

Thoughts like, can the values of sports be used as a lesson or an inspiration in daily life? Can we look at sports apart from medals? Etc. So I took out a pen and paper and started jotting down whatever came in my head. I kept writing thereafter for I guess a month.

One day my mother found some scribbled notes while cleaning my room. She showed the same to my father. Thereafter he gave me the idea of going ahead with this. So research came out of it. Then the book.

Once my book (Sports: A Way of Life) was published by Wiley India, People used to say- It sounds very nice on paper and is a good read but it's not practically possible to implement it. I was told, these ideas seem too good to be true. However, I was filled with the self-belief that it is very much practically possible as there were points which I myself had experienced.

Hence I went ahead and set up an NGO Sports: A Way Of Life to implement the findings of my research and with this India’s first Sports Literacy Mission was launched. After this, all our events and activities have been conducted under the broad umbrella of Sports Literacy Mission.

I filed a PIL in 2018 to make the Right to Sports a Fundamental Right. This PIL was accepted by the Hon’ble Supreme Court and notices were issued to the Central and all the State Governments. Amicus Curie has been appointed on this matter.

In 2019, IMT Ghaziabad set up India’s first Sports Research Centre and appointed me as its head. Right since its inception, we have been doing constant work to promote Sports Culture through Seminars, Model Sports Village, and Sports Therapy.

2. How did you decide to make your passion your career? Was your family supportive?

As mentioned earlier, this journey started with those inspirational words of my father and a few scribbled notes. To be honest, I didn’t even realize when this passion became a career. Doors kept opening and new opportunities kept coming up. However, this isn’t just a job for me, it's my passion and make it a point to keep giving my cent percent.

My family-father, mother, and my brother have been a constant source of strength. My father has been guiding and my mentor and I've learned a lot from him.

3. Who is your favorite player and what have learned from him/her?

My favorite player is Lionel Messi but my favorite Sports Personality is Sir Alex Ferguson. He is one of the best sports managers in the history of any Sport. He overtook Manchester United in 1986, a club crippled with problems of its own, and took it to a point where it became one of the most successful football clubs of its generation. His man-management skills and his unique ways of keeping his team motivated season after season is something I always admire.

4. Please tell us more about Sports: A Way of Life

Sports: A Way of Life was set up in 2017 with the objective of increasing Sports Literacy in India. Our whole idea is to increase Sports Culture in India for two main reasons.

One for building the character and personality of the Nation and Secondly to make India a global sporting powerhouse. An increase in Sports Culture will mean an increase in the talent pool which will lead to more people to choose from and hence better chances of producing more talented Sportspersons. We have the support of more than 30 Arjuna, Khel Ratna, and Dronacharya Awardees who are our Mission Messengers.

5. What is the level of commitment and time required to make sports a career?

Well, to excel in any field, the commitment, passion, zeal, dedication, and effort required are immense. Sports are no different. However, sportspersons always have to be on their toes because their performances are being analyzed constantly.

There is very little room for error. Not only their performances but the way they carry themselves in society becomes extremely important as they are role models and are followed by millions. Therefore, whatever they do is scrutinized and idealized.

Also, as in any other field, there is a large number of people fighting for too few seats or spots or places therefore the competition is immense.

6. How can we encourage more youngsters to take up sports as a full-time profession?

I think the problem lies a little deeper. For encouraging youngsters to take up sports, we need to go back a little further and focus on their parents. Parents are the first teacher of children. Therefore, if we are able to motivate parents then children will automatically be motivated.

The mindset of the population needs to be changed. There is a myth that runs deep down in our country that Sports Spoils the children. This needs to be nipped in the bud. Parents need to be told how Sports can play a crucial role in building the character and personality of their children.

The 16 values that Sports teaches us, will help their children excel in whatever fields they wish to choose in the future. Also, Sports has the ability to keep people away from depression and other mental health-related issues which is very important in today’s times as we have seen numerous instances of youngsters slipping into depression and committing suicides.

This can be an effective way of ensuring that parents encourage their wards to play and once in the field, if a child has potential, he or she can excel.

Another motivation has to come from the Government and Sports needs to be made a compulsory subject. This will once again ensure the participation of children in Sports. The PIL to make Right to Sports a Fundamental Right will be a major step in this direction.

7. Which is your favorite book and why?

I really like Kadambari by Banabhatta. I love it especially for its portion called Shuknasopdesh which basically talks about how and more importantly why to stay humble with rising to fame. It also illustrates the essential qualities which must be there in a king or a minister, who to trust. The king or minister can be equated with people in power in modern times. It should be read by all as it has a lot to offer.