New Delhi

From an accidental kayaker to being a jury member at the Olympics, Kashmiri trailblazer Bilquis Mir has come a long way and it was another moment of pride for her when Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya and Minister of State for Sports Raksha Nikhil Khadse met her to discuss the sport's future.

The 38-year-old, who served as a jury member for kayaking and canoeing during the Paris Olympics last year, met the two ministers here on Tuesday and apprised them about the growth of water sports in the country.

"I can see that the contribution of sportspersons is acknowledged more outside Jammu and Kashmir and this was clear from the attention and respect I got during my meeting with the two respected ministers," Mir told PTI.

She said the Sports Minister even asked her to prepare a roadmap for kayaking and canoeing and groom teams too.

"It was heartening to know that the Union sports ministry is keen on these water sports which in total have 16 medals in Olympics," she said.

Her meeting with the two ministers comes at a time when Kashmir's iconic Dal lake is gearing up to host the inaugural Khelo India Water Sports Festival from August 21 to 23.

After the interaction, Khadse, while stressing on the transformative potential of sports, lauded Mir for her inspiring journey and deep commitment to grassroots development.

"Seeing her brought back the realisation that real champions win not only medals but they take others to new heights, innovate fresh pathways, and demonstrate what is possible when dreams are cultivated and not only envisioned," Khadse said, referring to Mir's career as a kayaker, coach and mentor.

Mir's is a tale of overcoming barriers and achieving new milestones in Kashmir when terrorism was at its peak. She started her journey on the waters of Dal Lake, where she honed her kayaking skills after being introduced to the sport accidentally while out with a friend.

Between 1998 and 2006, she dominated the national stage, winning more than 25 medals and became the first from her state to compete for India in the ICF Sprint World Cup in Hungary, where she progressed to the semifinals -- a first for Indian water sports.

She was also the national coach for the women's kayaking and canoeing team at the London Olympics in 2012.

"What touched me most was how much she identifies with the grassroots. As Nehru Park's Water Sports Director in Srinagar, she has coached over 3,000 sportspersons, of whom over 300 are girls. Her proteges have returned more than 120 national medals, and her work has made an otherwise sleepy lakeside centre a centre of excellence," the minister said in her post.

She said Mir's journey serves as inspiration for aspiring athletes across the nation, demonstrating that with the right mix of passion, hard work, and support, it is possible to achieve not only personal greatness but pave the way for others to follow.

Khadse said the Narendra Modi-led central government was doing its bit for the growth of sports with initiatives like Khelo India.

Mir's journey was, however, not free of obstacles as for more than two years, she was involved in a legal fight after the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) lodged an FIR against her in 2023.

The FIR, which was recently revoked by the Jammu and Kashmir High Court, accused her of failing to complete a mandatory technical qualification for her position as a Physical Education Teacher.

The High Court indicted the authorities and described the case as a "witch-hunt" initiated by "vested interests".

In a curtly-worded order, the court said it was alarmed at the ACB's actions, observing that "criminalising non-acquisition of a technical qualification" by a sportsperson who had brought laurels to the nation "speaks volumes about the way in which we are treating our sporting heroes."

The court also lamented that instead of honouring meritorious people, the powers-that-be were "leaving no stone unturned in harassing such meritorious people."

Mir, who has returned to Kashmir, said although the emotional toll of the fight in court was gruelling, she remained resolute so as not to discourage the next generation of women athletes.