(L-R) Ravi Kahlon and Jagrup Brar. / Wikipedia

Sports influence people's lives, which is why they have become an integral part of modern society. Sports-minded societies progress faster than those that ignore physical fitness and recreation.
 
Developed societies are known to have given their sports heroes their due. Dr Richard Charlesworth is an example. A sportsman of rare acumen, "Ric," as he is affectionately addressed in the world of sports, belongs to the rarest of rare categories of people who have won laurels in several areas of human endurance.
 
An Olympian and a gold medallist, both as a player and a coach, he donned Australian colours in cricket as well. A doctor by training, Ric also sat in the Australian Parliament. He has been a trendsetter for those who believe that sportspeople make excellent professionals, including politicians.

Also Read: ‘East Indians in Canada’ Part 8: April 28 polls are crucial for migrant communities

 A Canadian politician is following in his footsteps. He is Ravinder (Ravi) Kahlon, a two-time Olympian and now a Minister in British Columbia.
 
Ravi has been sitting in the British Columbia Assembly after his playing days were over. Owing allegiance to the New Democratic Party, he has been representing the Delta riding in the British Columbia Provincial Assembly. In 2022, when the then Premier John Horgan decided to relinquish office, Ravi Kahlon was named one of his possible successors. He, however, politely turned down the offer and instead chose to be the chief campaigner for David Eby, the incumbent Premier.
 
After the last provincial elections, when the NDP just managed to get a razor-thin majority in the Assembly, David Eby again inducted Ravi Kahlon into his Cabinet.

Another sportsperson in the Cabinet is Jagrup Singh Brar. Jagrup also represents the NDP and has been one of the longest-serving MLAs. Except for one election in 2013, which he lost, he has been a regular member of the BC Assembly.
 
Jagrup Brar, born in the Bathinda district of Punjab, played for India in basketball, besides playing a pivotal role in making Punjab the national champion in a sport that had long seen supremacy of both Services and always.
 
Jagrup believes that all migrants have two hearts, one of which beats for the country of their origin and the second for the country of their present domicile.
 
Ravi Kahlon and Jagrup Brar stand out as sportsmen of excellence who are doing equally well in politics. Not only players but also East Indians have done a yeoman service to Canadian sports. If cricket has made a major comeback in Canada, it is primarily because of the patronage extended to this British game by the migrant communities from erstwhile Commonwealth nations in general and South Asia in particular.
 
The same is true for field hockey, where East Indians have played a stellar role in taking Canada to a podium finish not only in the Pan American Games but also in other major sporting events, including the Olympic Games and the World Cup.
 
When the East Indians hold their major sporting events, including those of Kabaddi and field hockey, leaders of all political parties make it a point to attend them to gain easy access to the vast gatherings of the migrants.
 
Politicians stay connected because of the mass appeal of some of the games that migrants have brought with them from the countries of their domicile to the countries of their present abode.
 
When T20 cricket debuted in Canada – Brampton – a couple of years ago, leaders of all major political parties, including the Conservative chief Pierre Poilievre, accompanied by Tim Uppal, attended some of the games and interacted with players and officials alike. With Patrick Brown, the Conservative Mayor of Brampton, making public his intent of turning his city into the cricket capital of Canada, the East Indian migrant community strongly rallied behind him.
 
In Stephen Harper's last Conservative government, Bal Gosal was named Sports Minister. An effort was made to get Kabaddi recognised as an Olympic sport, but infighting and groupism among those controlling it have nearly stalled those attempts. While East Indians have come to be known as a political entity, their mother sport, Kabaddi, continues to struggle for its official recognition in Canada.

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