India, Feb. 15 -- I got introduced to ice hockey on screen, thanks to the 1986 film Youngblood. Rugged players with gentle strides on the ice rink as they pass, chase, and shoot the puck: a picture-perfect game. As for India's ice hockey journey, the British sowed the seeds of the sport back in the 1930s in Shimla, but it was not until the Indian Army (particularly the Ladakh Scouts) took to frozen Ladakhi lakes that ice hockey found its foothold in the country. With the Indian women's hockey team clinching a bronze medal at the Asia Cup in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in June 2025, it's safe to say that the game has evolved beyond the stadium and fandom. It's now a catalyst for winter tourism in India too.

This winter, go beyond skiin...