Paralympics - A medal is more than a medal

Firstly, congratulations to the podium finishers at the Rio Paralympic games 2016. Could not watch the players performing live but have taken my share of motivation from the video clips that have been posted on social media. Special thanks to the Indian athletes who have participated in the games. Those who have won medals for India, we must know that they are the only athletes to have won medals ever by Indians in athletic events at the Olympics. It's not easy to achieve that. It must have taken whopping efforts to get there by the winners. Hearty congratulations to them once again.

I loved the idea of placing small balls inside the Olympic medals given to the Paralympic winners that make sound. The smiles of the winners on the podium while listening to the sound from medal clarifies it all of why this idea is invaluable. Kudos to the inventors.

A medal is a medal, of course. But often, we end up realizing that a medal is more than a medal in actual and emotional sense. Be it for the female athlete whose medal brought electricity to her village in Kenya, be it for the Polish medal winner selling his medal to support an operation for a baby, be it for the Indian women, Sakshi and Sindhu, whose medal inspired a few to say 'Beti Khilao', a medal is more than a medal. Especially for Paralympic winners, a medal is more than a medal, in every sense. Not to separate them out but the intention is to stress the determination and desperation that must have driven them to success on the world's biggest sports stage. The world records some athletes have set, taking a step ahead of summer Olympians, showcase to world the 'power of human mind'. It does things when it have to and it can do things in no normal way provided believed in it.

Huge potential lies in each one of us and all that we need to do is to identify, nurture and showcase it. And by doing so, we must keep inspiring each other to contribute to the successful run of human race. The race that we run together and not against anybody.