From a sport once reserved for (mostly male) royalty, shooting has undergone a remarkable transformation in India. At the recently concluded Paris Olympics, Manu Bhaker etched her name in history as the first athlete from independent India to win two medals at the same edition of the Olympics (in the women’s 10m air pistol event and in the 10m air pistol mixed team event with Sarabjot Singh). Swapnil Kusale, who works as a ticket collector for the Indian Railways in Pune, won bronze in men’s 50m rifle three positions. .
The success of Indian shooters in Paris seems to have inspired many individuals, from young athletes to adults seeking a new hobby, to take up the sport. Shooting academies and clubs have witnessed a surge in enrolments, and the demand for training facilities and equipment has increased.
“Before the Olympics, we were receiving inquiries from roughly two people per day. However, since the games, that number has soared to 12,” says Nikhil Sonje, the pistol coach at Bengaluru’s Ziel Shooting Academy in HSR Layout. “With the abundance of startups in the area, there’s a growing demand for new hobbies. Previously, we’d see around six or seven casual shooters on weekends. Now, that figure has increased to an average of 25 people.”
The Olympic impact
While the Paris Games marked the end of a 12-year Olympic medal drought for Indian shooters, India’s shooting prowess has been steadily rising for some time. India’s inaugural individual Olympic silver medal (through Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore in 2004) and the gold medal (through Abhinav Bindra in 2008) were both achieved in shooting. When considering major international tournaments, including the Olympics, World Championships, World Cup Finals, World Cups, Asian Games, and Commonwealth Games, the total number of medals won by Indian shooters surpasses 400. Arguably, no other Olympic sport has brought as many international accolades to India.
Olympian and Arjuna Awardee shooter Joydeep Karmakar recalls a time when the sport was a niche activity, often associated with the elite. “When I started in 1989, people frequently mistook shooting for filmmaking,” he says, “There was so little awareness about the sport.”
Olympian Joydeep Karmakar at his shooting academy | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
A turning point came with Rajyavardhan’s silver medal in 2004, which sparked interest in trap and skeet shooting. However, it was Abhinav’s historic gold medal in 2008 that truly catapulted shooting into the national consciousness. Suddenly, everyone knew about air rifle shooting, an indoor sport.
The 2012 Olympics further solidified shooting’s popularity. Vijay Kumar’s silver medal, Gagan Narang’s bronze, and Joydeep’s near-miss sparked a nationwide surge in interest. New clubs and academies emerged, and shooting transitioned from a fringe sport to a mainstream one.
“Despite the lack of medals in Rio and Tokyo Olympics, the sport continued to grow exponentially. National championships saw a staggering increase in participants, with over 18,000 shooters competing. That’s an unprecedented number, even compared to global standards. There are now over a lakh registered shooters in India,” says Joydeep.
His own academy in Kolkata, established in 2015, is a testament to this growth. With over 1,023 shooters trained, and constant inquiries from parents of young children, the competition within Indian shooting has reached unprecedented levels.
A shot at success
The appeal of shooting extends beyond its competitive aspects. As Sumeet Sanghavi, National Coach of the Indian pistol team, observes, “Parents are increasingly realising the holistic benefits of the sport. When a child practices shooting for an hour and a half, they’re essentially meditating. Beyond mental benefits, shooting has also been shown to foster personal growth and development. Parents often report positive changes in their children, including increased confidence, maturity, and social skills.”
National coach Sumeet Sanghavi with Manu Bhaker | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
The success stories of Indian shooting stars and substantial prize money have inspired parents to invest in their children’s shooting careers. Government support serves as a significant incentive, too. Shooting is among the eight ‘High Priority Disciplines’ that the sports ministry funds and supports. For instance, it spent ₹1.68 crore on Manu during the 2021-24 Olympic cycle.
Sultan Singh, the secretary general of the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI), the governing body for Indian shooting, says, “One of the key factors driving the growth of shooting is its individual nature. It’s a sport where an athlete’s success primarily depends on their own efforts. The sport emphasises personal improvement, technical skill, discipline, and mental toughness over raw talent. Shooting doesn’t require a high level of athleticism, making it accessible to a wider range of individuals. “
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Another advantage of shooting is the relatively quick path to success. Unlike many other sports, achieving national-level recognition in several age categories within a year of starting is possible, says Sumeet. This rapid progression is a major draw for aspiring shooters — children and adults.
A diverse range
The appeal of shooting extends beyond the realm of competitive athletes. A growing number of individuals from all walks of life are discovering the joys and challenges of this sport.
At 40, Bengaluru-based yoga instructor Divya Rolla rediscovered her passion for shooting, a sport she briefly tried during college. “As my 40th birthday rolled around, I felt a pull to learn something new,” she shares. After just 10 days of training, she was hooked. For Divya, shooting complements her yoga practice: “Shooting demands extreme mental and physical precision. It’s like a physical manifestation of your mental state.” Now, she’s motivated by the continuous improvement and the thrill of self-challenge.
Rahul Gopal, a 47-year-old sports nutritionist and fitness coach from Chennai, has a similar story. He rekindled his love for shooting in October 2023. Initially involved in rifle shooting during his school days, Rahul switched to pistol shooting due to an old back injury. His commitment quickly paid off, as he began winning competitions in March 2024, including multiple gold and silver medals at the state level.
Jeevan Ranjith Nainar | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
In contrast to Divya and Rahul, who discovered shooting later in life, 14-year-old Jeevan Ranjith Nainar from Chennai took up the sport just three months ago. “The moment I fired my first shot, I felt a sense of perfection,” he shares. Initially a sports enthusiast in various disciplines, Jeevan found a unique connection with shooting. “What makes it unique is the vast disparity in skill levels between beginners and professionals,” he adds, “In the next Olympics cycle, I’ll be 18. I want to compete and hopefully win gold for India.” This might seem like a lofty dream, but it’s not impossible. After all, Manu, who also dabbled in different sports before shooting at 14, has shown that anything is achievable with dedication and talent.
A spiritual pursuit
Beyond talent, technique, mental strength, and medals, shooting can offer something more... something fundamental to living itself.
One of the biggest mistakes athletes, or we as human beings, make is that either we are living in the past or we are thinking about what the future holds. We forget about the only reality that exists: the here.
Abhinav Bindra said this in the lead-up to this year’s Paris Olympics. These are not mere words; it’s an eternal wisdom that has reverberated through the philosophies of great thinkers across civilisations. The Buddha, in his teachings on mindfulness, emphasised this. The Stoics, a school of ancient Greek philosophy, advocated focussing on the present as the only place where true action and virtue can be found. Even modern psychologists, such as Carl Rogers, emphasise the importance of being present-centred for personal growth and well-being.
As someone who dedicated a chunk of his life to shooting excellence, Abhinav understands this.
Why? Because shooting is a sport of the present. Every shot, every breath, every twitch of a muscle is a testament to being fully grounded in the moment. The past is gone, the future is uncertain, but the present is all that matters. A split-second of distraction, a flicker of doubt, can ruin a shot. It’s a sport that demands unwavering focus, a mind devoid of regrets or anxieties. And that’s why shooting, like life itself, is a lesson in living in the here and now.
