Fighting Against Heavy Odds: An Indian Perspective on Sports History

It is difficult to ascertain whether the history of sport has crossed its adolescence in India or not. To establish its credibility as a viable academic discipline has proved something of a struggle for those Indian scholars engaged in its research in the past. In the light of my experiences of doing research and editing a journal on sports, and teaching the history of sport at the postgraduate level over the past two decades, I intend to argue that the challenges confronting sports history could be overcome only if the teaching of sports history in the Social Sciences goes hand in hand with serious research and publication.