Like mother, like daughter: Devika Malik carries on her mother Deepa Malik’s legacy
Devika won the gold medal in the 100 meters in the T37/36 category, while she had to settle for silver in the 200 meters in the T37/T35 category.
New Delhi, 13e December 2023: Mother Deepa Malik inaugurated the first-ever Khelo India Para Games 2023 along with Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Sh Anurag Thakur, while Devika Malik had fun on the tracks of the Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium participating in track events. Devika Malik, Deepa Malik’s eldest daughter, has always tried to derive her own identity from her mother’s towering personality. Deepa Malik is the symbol of paragames in the country.
Devika won the gold medal in the 100 meters in the T37/36 category, while she had to settle for silver in the 200 meters in the T37/T35 category.
“I trained a lot during the 4e The Para Asian Games were held in Hangzhou a few weeks ago. I think the training helped me in these Khelo India Para Games. It was truly a matter of pride to win two medals for Haryana. Even though I am an international athlete, playing Khelo India Para Games has its own charm,” says Devika with great pride.
Devika Malik was born as a premature baby with acute neonatal jaundice and hemiplegia and became paralyzed on one side of the body. Despite her disability, nothing could stop Devika from becoming an international para-athlete. A proud mother and a para sports champion herself Deepa Malik beams with joy at her daughter’s achievements. “I think I have another soul connection with Devika. As a mother I took care of her and now she takes care of me. That’s all I can ask of her. Although I never forced her to take up sports, I think she found solace on the track like me,” says Deepa Malik.
Both daughter and mother came into the sport together and were each other’s practice partners, contributors and companions. While Deepa Malik created history in 2016 by becoming the first ever woman to win a medal at the Paralympic Games, Devika, on the other hand, has made her own mark on the track. But they say, how far can the fruit fall from the tree? Devika’s inspiration is undoubtedly her mother Deepa Malik.
“My mother has been my greatest support and refuge during this journey. She has proven that she can go beyond her disability, having suffered from sub-thoracic paralysis for the past twenty years. She has achieved the highest honors in the sport, becoming India’s first female medalist at the Paralympic Games, and has always been an inspiration to everyone around her. She has worked extensively to improve policies for people with disabilities, and is the most passionate and proud supporter of my decision to become a social entrepreneur. We work hand-in-hand to enable other people with disabilities, and my journey has been all about following in her incomparable footsteps,” says Devika about her mother’s impact on her life.
For her efforts, Devika received recognition from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and received the Queen’s Young Leader Award from Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace in London in 2015. She also had the privilege of addressing the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in the presence of the entire British Royal Family and all 53 heads of Commonwealth countries, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, at the Disability Opening Ceremony in 2018. Her work as an entrepreneur was also recognized by the NITI Aayog in 2018.
Devika holds the national record in the 100 and 200 meters in her category and trains under the watchful eye of Sh Amit Khanna, who was once one of the fastest men in the country.