For all his laurels, Deepraj has much to prove 

The path to General Secretary, Sports Affairs, lies uncontested before Deepraj Singh Kasherwal. His credentials rest primarily on a single, but undeniably impressive achievement: steering both the men’s and women’s basketball contingents to gold at the 58th Inter-IIT Sports Meet as the Institute Basketball Secretary. This success, however, is not a surrogate for the institutional savviness, political dexterity, and administrative rigour the role of a GSSA demands. 

His manifesto reveals a candidate still finding his footing, yet to earn the confidence of many. For all his rhetoric about building a stronger and more inclusive athlete support system, Deepraj’s manifesto clearly prioritises visibility over welfare. Where the manifesto should be strongest, in supporting Institute Teams and identifying talent, it is conspicuously weakest. Beyond nutrition guidance and mental conditioning sessions, concrete initiatives for elite athletes are scarce, a stark difference from the structured and achievable points some previous GSSAs have pursued and delivered.

More telling than the manifesto itself was Deepraj’s defence of it in his manifesto video and soapbox session. When asked to explain the rationale, plan of action and timeline behind initiatives he himself drafted, his answers revealed insufficient preparation as pointed out by the panel present in his soapbox. He appeared to funnel multiple, distinct problems into a single proposed solution, without a clear plan to overcome the existing constraints to it. Several audience members raised concerns about his choice of prioritising extinct communities over present growing communities, flagging that this oversight of player needs was raised by several players during his groundwork interaction. Deepraj acknowledged this oversight and committed to revisiting certain things. The willingness to listen is a start. Execution will be the real test.

This is not his first rodeo. People affiliated with the matter recall similar concerns during his previous accounts, yet he went on to perform well in his roles. Whether he can replicate that trajectory at a significantly larger scale is still up in the air.

Deepraj possesses enthusiasm, goodwill and an impressive track record according to the current Institute Sports Council. Although he has managed to diagnose problems, he has proposed solutions that largely sidestep them. This leaves open the question of whether he understands what meaningful support systems actually require. On the evidence presented currently, that question remains unanswered.