Sporting Excellence at Ashoka University

In a world where sports is often considered a secondary pursuit or at best, an unconventional career path, Ashoka has since the beginning, exemplified the importance of integrating sports into holistic education. The University has created a nurturing environment where students can explore and excel in sports alongside their academic pursuits, fostering a culture that views sports as an essential facet of personal and professional growth.

Sports at Ashoka is much more than just a pastime – they offer a platform for developing essential life skills such as discipline, mutual respect, punctuality, camaraderie, leadership, teamwork and emotional and mental resilience. The spirit of sportsmanship is unparalleled. With state-of-the-art facilities and an academic ethos that encourages interdisciplinary exploration, Ashoka equips its students to become change-makers in both traditional as well as unconventional fields. 

Chamba Tsetan, from the Young India Fellowship (YIF) batch of 2019, belongs to a pastoralist-nomadic community from Ladakh’s Kargyam village. He spent his formative years at SECMOL (Students’ Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh), where he was introduced to Ice Hockey for the first time in his life. This initial exposure ignited a passion for sports that would later transform his life. 

His experiences led him to seeking to meet people beyond Ladakh and pursue a multidisciplinary education, focusing on social changemaking, entrepreneurship and youth leadership. Chamba found what he was looking for at Ashoka – YIF helped him find a balance between passion and profession. Mixing sports with social entrepreneurship, Chamba worked with Himalayan Institute of Alternatives and started designing courses on solar building construction and responsible tourism as well. Sports had the power to change his life in a meaningful way, and he now wants to do the same for other people. 

With supportive mentorship and access to professional sports facilities, for many students, Ashoka opens doors to discovering a passion for sports they had never experienced before.. Raunit Singh, from the Ashoka Scholars Programme (ASP) cohort of 2023, grew up playing cricket without proper equipment or a real pitch. After joining Ashoka, Raunit gained access to professional badminton courts, igniting his love for the sport. He went on to serve as Captain of the Ashoka Badminton Team for two years, proving that opportunity and support can unlock hidden potential. 

Others like Sanah Agrawal, an undergraduate student from the class of 2024 and a competitive shooter, got the chance to reignite her passion for shooting after a hiatus during the pandemic. She found it easy to pick up the sport at Ashoka, thanks to the University’s on-campus shooting range and supportive sports department. 

Ashoka’s impact extends beyond nurturing individual athletes; it inspires students to advocate for inclusivity and innovation in sports. Radha Lath Gupta, a graduate from the Undergraduate batch of 2022, is the founder of ‘She Talks Ball’, a digital platform dedicated to promoting equal representation for women in sports. As a digital journalist passionate about promoting equal representation for women in sports, Radha gained valuable entrepreneurial skills at Ashoka that helped her build her platform. She became one of the only four women globally to receive the Title IX Content Creator Grant from the Sports Innovation Lab. Today, she’s redefining the sports journalism landscape, challenging industry norms and amplifying women’s voices in sport.

Some Ashoka alumni have gone a step further by using sports as a tool for social change. Lakshman Rohith Maradapa, an alum from the YIF cohort of 2017, is an athlete, social entrepreneur and government servant. Inspired by his father’s work which revived the Kodaikanal boat and rowing club, Lakshman pursued the same sport – eventually representing India as a coxswain at the Asian Games and Youth Olympic Games. 

After graduating from Ashoka, Lakshman founded ‘Just For Play’, a not-for-profit initiative that combines sports mentoring with community support to empower underprivileged adolescents. The Ashoka network has played a pivotal role in scaling his vision of using sports to instill values such as respect, aspirations and goal-setting amongst young people. 

At Ashoka, the approach to sports is holistic and deeply integral to the overall student experience, challenging the notion of sports as a ‘side’ pursuit. From world-class facilities to an inclusive culture and ethos of innovation, the University empowers students to explore their passions, build meaningful connections and create transformative change in their lives and communities. Through stories like these, Ashoka demonstrates that sports can be a powerful catalyst – not just for individual growth, but also for greater societal impact. It’s a space where students are inspired to dream big, work hard and ultimately make a difference, both on and off the field.