While some Indian sporting stars, such as Virat Kohli and Sania Mirza, are known all over the world, others have led much quieter lives on the global scale.
But that's not to diminish their achievements, and while Prashanti Singh may not be a household name the world over, her place in Indian sporting folklore is assured.
Can you name another athlete around the world that has won 22 or more medals in national tournaments? You can't because Prashanti holds the record there – she has been a key figure in Indian basketball for a long time.
Can you name a sporting star that has won both the Arjuna Award and the Padma Shri? Not from basketball you can't, because Prashanti is the only player from the sport to receive the two prestigious honours.
Ms. Prashanti Singh, Arjuna Awardee & former captain of Indian Women's National Basketball Team interacted with #CISF personnel during motivational talk held @ CISF Unit ASG, Varanasi. pic.twitter.com/IB7zurDu5O
— CISF (@CISFHQrs) September 5, 2018
The success of the 37-year-old – as well as of her sisters Divya, Akanksha and Pratima – has helped to shape the present and the future of basketball in India. Over in the NBA, the Sacramento Kings owner Vivek Ranadive is the first Indian to own a major share in the organisation, and he believes that basketball is ‘well on the way' to becoming the country's second most popular sport behind cricket.
NBA India has also launched its own weekly show – the first in its history – in November 2021, and just two years ago, a pair of pre-season games between the Kings and the Indiana Pacers took place at the NSCI Dome in Mumbai.
But it was the Singh sisters that have laid the foundation for basketball's popularity in India, and so much so that the sport has enjoyed success in other avenues too. The NBA 2K series of games remains incredibly popular with Indian gamers keen to build the perfect roster, while online players can access games like Basketball Star on Fire, a slot game available at the likes of Genesis Casino.
Prashanti Singh has been on fire for the best part of two decades, and Indian sport is indebted to her skills, hard work and dedication.
Roll of Honour
The achievements of Prashanti and her sisters in basketball are almost endless.
She was the first women's player in history to feature in the Commonwealth Games, seven Asia Women's Championships and two editions of the Asian Games – the latter, in 2010, after she lobbied for the Indian team to be allowed entry for the first time in 28 years.
Naturally, Prashanti has been at the heart of India's best performances on the international stage, including the famous 63-59 win over the much more advanced South Korea in the 2011 William Jones Cup.
And in the Asia Championship, she produced the performance of her life to guide India to victory over Malaysia to retain their place in the Level 1 division.
The Fighter: An Interview With Prashanti Singh, Indian Basketball's Newest Arjuna Award Winner https://t.co/HrACMsA5m8
— प्रशांति सिंह सोलंकी (@prashanti14) September 1, 2017
Growing up in Varanasi, there were certain gender stereotypes around when Prashanti started playing basketball in the 1990s but, influenced by her elder sister Priyanka, she set about proving everyone wrong – ‘I just wanted to disprove these people and the society,' she has said. That stance earned her the Rani Laxmi Bai Bravery Award in 2017.
It's long been a family affair for the Singhs in life and in basketball, and now Prashanti is passing on her wisdom to the next generation of talent in India. If anybody can get close to her achievements in the sport, they will have done a remarkable job.
