top of page

By:

Correspondent

23 August 2024 at 4:29:04 pm

Unsung Champions

The Commonwealth Games have once again reminded India of a sporting truth that is too often forgotten amid the deafening roar of cricket stadiums, billion-dollar leagues and celebrity endorsements. The greatest sporting stories of at the CWG have emerged from dusty fields, improvised training grounds and lives shaped by extraordinary adversity. India’s athletes in Glasgow have rewritten the meaning of sporting triumph. The story of Sharmila Dhankar is nothing short of extraordinary. Struck by...

Unsung Champions

The Commonwealth Games have once again reminded India of a sporting truth that is too often forgotten amid the deafening roar of cricket stadiums, billion-dollar leagues and celebrity endorsements. The greatest sporting stories of at the CWG have emerged from dusty fields, improvised training grounds and lives shaped by extraordinary adversity. India’s athletes in Glasgow have rewritten the meaning of sporting triumph. The story of Sharmila Dhankar is nothing short of extraordinary. Struck by polio at the age of two, having endured the trauma of an abusive marriage, she could have been reduced to a statistic in a country where disability and social barriers often combine to crush ambition. Instead, the 40-year-old from Haryana transformed pain into power, producing a season’s best throw of 9.81 metres to become India’s first para-athlete to win a Commonwealth Games gold medal. Her victory in the women’s shot put F57 event was a declaration of human resilience. Sharmila’s journey, from physical disability and personal hardship to the top step of a global podium, captures the very essence of sport. Her compatriot Shilpa Shyla’s bronze medal in the same event added another chapter to this inspiring tale. Together, the two Indian women demonstrated that determination can overcome disadvantages that would have stopped many others. Sarvesh Kushare, who won a historic silver in the men’s high jump, comes from a farming family in Maharashtra’s Nashik district. His early training ground was not a sophisticated sports facility but makeshift pits created from agricultural waste by his father. Gulveer Singh’s magnificent silver in the men’s 10,000 metres - India’s first-ever medal in the event at the Commonwealth Games - was another reminder that Indian endurance athletes, often overlooked in a cricket-obsessed sporting ecosystem, possess the talent and tenacity to compete with the best in the world. These athletes represent a different India that battles scarcity, limited facilities and social constraints before it battles opponents on the track or field. Their medals are not products of privilege but triumphs of persistence. For decades, cricket has deservedly enjoyed its place as India’s most popular sport. But the imbalance in attention, resources and public imagination cannot continue indefinitely. A nation of 1.4 billion people cannot measure its sporting identity through one game alone. The Commonwealth Games have shown India a mirror that reflects not just medals, but the immense human potential waiting beyond the spotlight. The achievements in Glasgow should become a turning point. India must invest more deeply in athletics, para-sports and Olympic disciplines, not merely when medals arrive but when dreams begin. Because every Sharmila Dhankar, Sarvesh Kushare and Gulveer Singh represents the extraordinary sporting potential of India waiting to be unleashed.

One should ignore volatility and stick to investments

Updated: Nov 18, 2024

Devang Kabra

There are certain questions in the minds of an investor on which could be the best available choice. Devang Kabra, Partner and Co-Fund Manager of Wallfort PMS, tells Mangesh Kulkarni that the investor should stick to the investments despite the fear of volatility. Excerpts…

Q. The Indian stock market has given stellar returns in the last four years. Nifty 50 has risen by 200 per cent, small cap index has risen by almost six times from COVID lows. Should investors book profit, or is there an opportunity for fresh investment?

A. It depends on the time horizon of the investor. On broader index levels, the indices are likely to go into consolidation for 3-6 months. However, we invest with a mid to long term view and not with a short-term view. Hence, one should ideally ignore this volatility and stick to the investments. Probably, the volatility will give a chance to buy more of the chosen stock. We don’t believe this temporary volatility impacts India's structural story.


Q. Private sector banks have underperformed the broader market in the last three years. What is your view on these stocks?

A. Currently, the Private sector banks are facing a double whammy of tight global liquidity and reducing domestic deposits. Their cost of funds is dear compared to pre covid days. Their balance sheet performance and hence stock performance would largely depend on their NIM increase. On the international front, one has to keenly observe the FED interest rates moves and the effect on inflation and global liquidity. On the domestic front, one has to keenly observe what Indian Government and RBI does to motivate investment of households in FD's (which is currently moving out to alternative financial asset classes because of returns and taxation).


Q. On which sectors you are currently over weight?

A. We are overweight on manufacturing and luxury consumption theme.


Q. How much return has your oldest PMS given in the last five and 10 years?

A. Our five years IRR has been 41 per cent.


Q. Which is that one theme in which you are extremely bullish in the current market?

A. We are bullish on manufacturing theme.


Q. Mutual Funds Vs PMS - which option is better?

A. Mutual Funds are best for an investor starting off in life or in the early stages of his financial investment journey. Once a decent corpus is built after consistent 5-10 years of investing in Mutual Funds, the investor can shift to PMS. In terms of absolute returns, PMS will always outperform MF. However, in PMS, there is a barrier of investment size. Hence, the suggestion to build a decent MF portfolio before venturing into PMS investments.

Comments

bottom of page