Mir bahri

Khelo India Water Sports Festival: Not known as a top performer at the national level, Jammu & Kashmir has done well in the inaugural Khelo India Water Sports Festival (KIWSF) 2025, which concluded at the iconic Dal Lake here on Saturday. The main reason for their success is the Sports Authority of India (SAI), especially the centre set up at Nehru Park inside Dal Lake.

The centre is playing a major role in turning around the careers of these water sports athletes from J&K, who all come from indigent families that struggle to make ends meet.

Mohsin Ali is a carpenter’s son, Sajad Hussain is the son of a Shikarawala, while Muhammad Hussain was born to a vegetable vendor, and none of them would have brought laurels for their state in the Khelo India Water Sports Festival (KIWSF), 2025, but for SAI.