Srinagar, Aug. 25 -- Syed Aaliya

When we talk about Kashmir's sporting potential, we usually start and end with the athletes. We celebrate the cricketer who reaches the IPL, the footballer who represents the country, or young men and women winning medals at national competitions. But I think there's another aspect of this sporting story which deserves just as much attention and that is the people who make the equipment our athletes compete with. Kashmir has already shown it can produce sports goods that travel far beyond the Valley. The Kashmir willow cricket bat is perhaps the strongest case in point. It was a largely unbranded cottage industry that slowly morphed into a manufacturing ecosystem. Today, brands like GR8 Sports and KIS Spo...