New Delhi, Jan. 23 -- When Skarma Tsultim first wore ice skating boots in the winter of 2018, there was no plan, no pressure, and no big dream attached to it. She was a schoolgirl attending a 15-day winter sports training camp, trying ice skating for the first time like many other children in Ladakh. She learnt basic skating during that camp and found it manageable.

It didn't scare her. It didn't feel heavy. It just felt natural. That camp also gave her something else - an idea. That idea became a reality and courtesy, Khelo India Winter Games (KIWG). Winters came, the skating boots came out, and when the season ended, life went back to normal.

That changed in 2021. In Ladakh as schools shut in winter and most sports slowed down, ice ho...