Khelo India: Mohsin, a gold medallist who hones his skills on the Dal Lake

It’s been a daily grind for 17-year-old Kashmiri Mohsin Ali Kand, to row a shikara on the Dal Lake after school to make some money for minor expenses. A necessity for a member of a lower middle-class family like him to afford a ‘balanced diet’ as he dreams of making a career in the demanding watersport of kayaking.

While his goal is to make India proud in the Asian Games and Olympics, the Class 12 student of SP Higher Secondary School in Srinagar showed he is on the right path when he handed hosts J&K the first gold medal of Khelo India Water Sports Festival 2025 (KIWSF) on Thursday. As he stepped out of the water after claiming top honours in the 1,000-m men’s kayaking event with a timing of 4:12:717, the local crowd erupted in joy.

Barely four months after the Pahalgam massacre of 22 April which brought the Union Territory to a grinding halt, a sporting event with mass participation like the KIWSF is a huge confidence-building measure, and so is the triumph of a local talent. A three-day event — the latest addition to the growing portfolio of Khelo India Games — it will conclude on Saturday and comprises six disciplines on the lake — rowing, canoeing, kayaking, water skiing, shikara race and dragon boat race.

Speaking to the Khelo India media team, Mohsin was emotional about his father Fida Hussain Kand, a carpenter, and credited him for all his success. “It was my father who was instrumental in me taking up watersports,” Mohsin said. The lanky youth added that despite economic hardships and the burden of a five-member family, his father insisted that he develop a keen interest in watersport from a very young age.

“Water sports is my passion and I dream of representing India at the international level. To see my dreams actualise, I row a shikara to share the burden of my family and buy the necessary diet that I require for training,” Mohsin said.

A resident of Kand Mohalla near Dal Lake, he started his watersports journey as a seven-year-old and credited the Jammu and Kashmir Kayaking and Canoeing Association profusely for his growth. “They are also instrumental in my success as the association provided me with the necessary training and infrastructure,” he said.

‘’However, it is very difficult for me to purchase the necessary diet for participating in such events as professional watersport athletes are supposed to have a protein-rich, carbohydrate-rich, electrolyte-rich diet which I am not able to afford due to meagre means,” he said.

However, the resilient Mohsin did not let this come in his way of success and wants to overcome the hurdles. “The thing that really keeps me going is the burning desire for representing the country at international events like Asian Games, World Championship and Olympics,” he said.

Mohsin believes that practising on the waters of Dal Lake in high-altitude Kashmir helps develop better stamina, which other athletes from across the country may lack. “Most of them come from the plains. So I have a strong feeling that if I continue to work hard the way I have, time is not far when I will represent the country in international events,” the spunky lad says.