From J&K battlefield to Paralympics bronze: Sema's inspirational journey through hardships
Paris (PTI): On a quiet October day in 2002, a young soldier’s dreams were shattered in a heartbeat in the volatile terrain of Jammu and Kashmir’s Chowkibal.
An unexpected explosion ended the ambition of Havildar Hokato Hotozhe Sema to join the Special Forces.
That landmine blast during an anti-terrorist operation claimed his left leg below the knee, inflicting immense physical pain and mental trauma.
Sema's world went dark, or everyone thought so.
But for Sema, it was the beginning of an extraordinary journey of resilience, courage, and fierce determination to rebuild life -- a process he went through at the Army Paralympic Node, BEG Centre in Pune.
Twenty-two years later, at the swank State de France, the 40-year-old Indian shot-putter came up with his career-best throw of 14.65 metres to secure a bronze medal in the men's F57 category at the Paralympics to swell the country's medal haul to 27 (six gold, nine silver and 12 bronze).
His rise in para-athletics has been nothing short of inspiring.
He quickly distinguished himself with his sheer willpower in the F57 category, which includes athletes with limb deficiencies and impaired muscle power.
Sema was encouraged by senior army officials at the Pune-based Artificial Limb Centre to take up shot put after seeing his fitness as he embraced the sport in 2016 at the age of 32.
That year, he travelled to Jaipur to compete in the National Para Athletics Championships. A silver at the Morocco Grand Prix in 2022 was followed by a bronze medal at the Asian Para Games in Hangzhou.
He narrowly missed a medal at the 2024 World Championships, finishing fourth. But Sema's determination never wavered.
The defining moment came during his Paralympics debut, when he battled against a fiercely competitive field.
Strapped to a throwing chair, each of his six throws was a manifestation of grit and physical strength.
He touched the 14m mark on his second throw and then improved further with a heave of 14.40m.
Sema achieved his best throw in his fourth attempt, bettering his personal best to 14.49m en route to the bronze.
Iran's Yasin Khosravi, the 31-year-old two-time para world champion, clinched the top spot with a Paralympic record of 15.96m, while Brazil's Thiago Dos Santos took the silver (15.06m).
Prime Minister Narendra Modi described Sema's win a "proud moment" for the nation while hailing his incredible strength and determination.
"A proud moment for our nation as Hokato Hotozhe Sema brings home the Bronze medal in Men’s Shot Put F57! His incredible strength and determination are exceptional. Congratulations to him. Best wishes for the endeavours ahead," PM Modi wrote on X.
Sema has been supported by the Khelo India initiative and his training, boarding, and lodging were taken care of by the National Centre of Excellence (NCoE) scheme.
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Andhra to be developed as knowledge, creator economy hub: CM Naidu
New Delhi/Amaravati (PTI): Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Friday said the state is taking steps to transform itself into a knowledge and creator economy hub with a strong focus on artificial intelligence and quantum technology.
He noted that Andhra Pradesh has abundant tech-driven youth and the government is formulating plans to train them in futuristic technologies with support from global technology firms.
"Our goal is to transform Andhra Pradesh into a knowledge hub by focusing on AI, quantum computing, data centres, drone cities and space cities. The youth will remain our biggest asset over the next 25 years, and we seek global partnerships to scale up the creator economy," said Naidu during his interactions at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in Delhi.
Naidu, who participated in the summit in the national capital, also held meetings with several global technology leaders and industrialists to explore collaborations in artificial intelligence, clean energy and innovation ecosystems.
He met Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen, Autodesk AI Head Mike Haley, Aramco India Director Abdul Rehman AiThukair, LEGO Education Vice President Tom Hall, Aadhaar Founder and CTO Srikanth Nadhamuni, Khosla Ventures Managing Partner Vinod Khosla and others at the AP Pavilion.
The chief minister also held discussions with Saudi Aramco representatives on clean energy projects, including solar initiatives, and invited the company to expand operations in Andhra Pradesh, stating that the state is highly suitable for green energy production.
He sought support from NVIDIA Vice President Callista Redmond for establishing AI Living Labs and proposed partnerships through the Ratan Tata Innovation Hub to promote youth innovation, including collaborations with IIT Tirupati and Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Tirupati under the Andhra Pradesh Future Innovation and Research for Science and Technology (AP FIRST) initiative.
Naidu urged Autodesk leadership to support the development of Global Capability Centres in design engineering and requested the establishment of an Innovation Academy in Amaravati aligned with quantum technology, besides proposing AI and robotics learning labs in partnership with LEGO Education.
He also discussed AI-driven smart governance solutions with Quantela Inc Chairman Sridhar Gadhi, while World Bank Group Digital AI Regional Director Mahesh Uttamchandani met Naidu on the sidelines of the summit.
Following the meetings, Naidu visited various exhibition stalls at the summit, including those of NVIDIA, Tata, Intel and Microsoft, and reviewed AI applications across agriculture, healthcare and industry.
