Munich Desi: Indian Shooters Target ISSF World Cup, Maratha Engineers Bring Vada Pav to Bavaria
India's elite shooting contingent has arrived in Munich for the ISSF World Cup 2026, with Paris 2024 Olympic medallists Manu Bhaker and Swapnil Kusale making their long-anticipated returns to international competition after both were absent from the season opener in Granada, Spain. The strengthened 35-member Indian squad — which also features former world champion Rudrankksh Patil and top-ranked Elavenil Valarivan — will compete from May 24 to 31 in Bavaria, targeting medals and vital LA28 Olympic qualification points after India secured just one gold at Granada. The Munich leg is widely viewed as India's opportunity to show the full depth of its shooting talent on the world stage. Away from the ranges, Mumbai Mirror's Sunday Read has spotlighted a very different expression of Indian ambition in the city: two Maharashtrian engineers who left six-figure corporate careers and doctoral studies behind to bring authentic vada pav, kala masala, and the real taste of Maharashtra to the Bavarian capital.
India's Olympic Shooters Return for ISSF World Cup Munich
India's 35-member shooting contingent has arrived in Munich for the ISSF World Cup 2026, held from May 24 to 31, with two headline returners generating considerable excitement among Indian shooting fans. Paris 2024 Olympic medallists Manu Bhaker and Swapnil Kusale, who both sat out the season-opening World Cup in Granada, Spain, are back in competition in Bavaria, adding world-class firepower to an already experienced national squad.
Bhaker, whose Paris 2024 campaign made her one of India's most celebrated modern athletes, and Kusale, a bronze medallist in the 50m rifle 3 positions event at those Games, lead a contingent that also includes former world champion Rudrankksh Patil and national team regular Elavenil Valarivan. Of the 35 squad members, 13 are competing under Ranking Points Only status, providing valuable international experience for younger athletes.
India arrives in Munich with clear motivation. At the Granada opener, the team claimed just one gold — won by Mukesh Nelavalli and Palak Gulia in the 10m air pistol mixed team event — leaving the broader squad with significant unfinished business on the circuit. Munich represents a key opportunity to demonstrate full competitive strength, build the medal tally, and accumulate vital LA28 Olympic qualification points. Live streaming of the World Cup finals is available on Olympics.com for Indian fans and diaspora communities across Europe, keeping the community connected to every shot fired in Bavaria. [3]
🍛 Asal Maratha in Munich: Maharashtra Engineers Serve Up Vada Pav in Bavaria
The story of two engineers from Maharashtra who abandoned six-figure salaries and doctoral programmes to become food entrepreneurs in Munich has resonated with readers back home, with Mumbai Mirror's Sunday Read profiling their venture under the title 'Asal Maratha in Munich.' The Marathi word 'asal' means genuine or original, and that commitment to authenticity sits at the heart of everything the founders have set out to build in Bavaria.
Rather than adapting Maharashtra's iconic flavours to suit a European palate, the pair have stayed true to their roots — bringing vada pav, the beloved Mumbai street snack often described as India's burger, and kala masala, the deeply aromatic spice blend that defines Marathi cooking, to a city far from the lanes of Pune or the streets of Mumbai. Their choice reflects both deep cultural pride and real entrepreneurial courage.
For Munich's Indian community — educated, professionally established, and spread across Germany's southern technology and research corridors — ventures like this carry meaning well beyond the menu. They represent the desire to maintain cultural community in a foreign city and to ensure that younger generations of the diaspora have authentic connections to the taste of home. In insisting on the real thing rather than an adapted version, this Maratha duo are making a statement as much as a meal. The vada pav, it turns out, travels remarkably well. [10]
Sources: [3] olympics.com · [10] Mumbai Mirror