10 years after Rio silver, Deepa Malik remains a talisman for Paralympics
It’s been a journey of responsibility, says the feisty woman who played a catalyst in popularising the movement in India
The image of a wheelchair-bound Deepa Malik, wearing a broad smile, has become virtually synonymous with the growth of India’s Paralympic movement for more than a decade now. It may be two years since the first-ever Indian woman medallist in Paralympics has stopped serving as president of Paralympic Committee of India (PCI), but it’s the passion and concern for her sport which still drives the feisty 55-year-old.
Saturday, 12 September 2026, marked the 10th anniversary of Deepa’s heave for a historic silver medal in shot put in F53 category in 2016 Rio Paralympics. While she still looks back at the landmark moment with a lot of pride, it’s her role of a catalyst in promoting the profile of the paralympic movement in the country which has since defined her.
‘’Time has flown but yes, it’s been a journey of responsibility,’’ said the Padmashri and Khel Ratna awardee. The warmth and positivity in her voice was unmistakeable when National Herald reached out to wish her on the anniversary—only to find out that she was bracing for a trip to Aichi Nagoya in Japan next month as a representative of South Asia in the Asian Paralympic Committee (APC).
‘’Looking back, I see my Rio medal as the launching pad for a journey as to how to take our sport into the consciousness of the masses—not to speak of improving the lot of the children who take it up,’’ said Deepa, who had shared her fascinating story in the autobiography Bring It On last year. There are now plans to bring out a Hindi edition as she feels it may help her act to connect better with the para athletes, most of whom have it as the first language.
Asked when did she decide to take the plunge headlong into administration, Deepa said it was the Khel Ratna award in 2019 which motivated her. ‘’You can say it was the turning point from where I decided to be invested with paralympics in a bigger way. Mind you, I had already created my pathway despite being bound to a wheelchair (since she was barely 30) due to the multiple surgery for the spinal tumour. It was not easy to win a medal at 45 years of age but I wanted to prove everyone wrong,’’ she went on.
‘’I know how much it takes as I have got a daughter with physical disability (her elder daughter Devika was born with a left side hemiplegia) who went on to become an international para athlete. Early on, I realised the need to sensitise people about the movement and I acted as the bridge between the government and the PCI to facilitate funding from the ministry. The other aspect was to tap the corporate sector of the country for sponsorship through their CSR funding while we took recourse to social media to tell our stories,’’ reflected Deepa, who is also a motivational speaker.
She was a prime mover behind PCI launching their own paralympics anthem before the squad’s departure for 2024 Paris Paralympics. The medal haul of the likes of Sumit Antil, Avani Lekhara shot exponentially from two in Rio to a record 19 in Tokyo and then 29 in Paris. ‘’The credit lies with our boys and girls but as the PCI chief, I focused strongly on their need for the right equipment etc.’’ she said.
Intriguingly, when the capital hosted the World Paralympics last year, there was no mention of Deepa in the official promo of the event. Brushing aside the episode, Deepa said it surely hurt but her main agenda now is to leave a lasting legacy rather than expect endorsement from anyone. ‘’There is a lot left to be done—for example, my dream is to see the logos of Olympics and Paralympics integrated at some point. Let’s see how it goes,’’ she added.