Launch us to more podiums: Mumbai’s differently abled athletes

Geeta Chouhan is spot on (right) Rahul Ramugade is pool cool

As India overhauled its Tokyo Paralympics total by nine medals in Paris, with 29 medals at the Paris Paralympics compared to 20 in the Japanese capital three years ago, the tally is the country's smiley, shiny moment. Mumbai's differently-abled athletes, some of who have moved into activism, advocating for the community, say there has to be more support as players are moving through the ranks not just at the top.

Rahul Ramugade, captain, Mumbai wheelchair cricket team, said, "It is extremely difficult to firstly even get access to a ground to play on. I was also a para-swimmer earlier and it was equally difficult to find a pool to train in. Like many differently-abled persons, I revelled in the pool, as the water with its buoyancy makes us feel totally free."

(left to right) Blind runner Amarjeet Singh Chawla puts his fleetest foot forward and that's bat for Rahul Ramugade

For Ramugade is certain there are many others with him, "The obstacles begin with the commute to get to training venues. Then, accessible grounds are sparse to non-existent. There are a few para-athletes who will be doughty enough to keep turning up to practice, despite such huge odds. Others cannot afford the luxury, or undertake such continuous hardship and drop out."

Invest best

Ramugade explained, "Maybe the government should have a timeline-oriented scheme wherein the athlete is given support for two to three years once spotted by talent scouts. If he/she does not deliver within that time frame, post that, he can be on his own," said the cricketer, pointing out that, "We have had medals in individual events at the Paralympics, not in team sports."

Prakash Nadar played an array of sports

Guides needed

Amarjeet Singh Chawla puts his fastest foot forward as a long-distance runner. Though the visually impaired runner does not compete at any particular level he said, "I know how difficult it is for us. Just like students hunt for a writer for their examinations, we need an ‘escort' for our run. A guide who can keep pace with the blind runner. I have fallen so many times on our roads while training. Even the best guide at times cannot warn us about speed breakers or a pothole. Visually impaired runners find it difficult to fund themselves on the lower rungs of the sporting ladder, how can they fund guides, especially for basic travel expenses etc. The support should begin before medals are won, not just after," said Chawla who is a Kandivli resident.

Compete feat

A familiar sight in his wheelchair, especially at Prabhadevi and Worli, Prakash Nadar also known as India's blood man for a record number of blood donations, is an activist for the community and has played an array of sports. From sea swimming to powerlifting, wheelchair tennis, and badminton, Nadar believes that sport is a great way to live life.

"I could go on about the lack of infrastructure and facilities for para-athletes. That has been well documented. What we need and has not been highlighted adequately, is opportunities to compete too. When tourneys are held for able athletes, we must have a segment where they have a parallel competition or tourney for the differently-abled too. In this way, para-athletes will have the same window of opportunities to compete. Currently, I also witness several Maharashtra para-athletes moving to other states like Haryana, which has a more robust sporting system for para-athletes," said the feisty Nadar whose slogan: 'Count my ability, not my disability' emblazoned on his wheelchair is the philosophy he lives by.

Wheel worries

There is Geeta Chouhan from Andheri who has a long list of achievements to her name. Chouhan is in a wheelchair, she was afflicted with polio when she was six. She was selected to captain the Indian Women's Wheelchair Basketball team earlier this year, has sterling achievements in wheelchair basketball, and is a national-level athlete in wheelchair racing. She has trophies and medals lining her Andheri home, what she does not have is a basic: a ground to play on.

"We do not have opportunities to train as a team as currently, there are no courts available to us," she said. As women para-athletes, "we struggle to find grounds with washrooms we can take our wheelchairs into and that has a door we can close behind us," said Chouhan. "We need money and support at this stage, which is a springboard for global glory like the Paralympics. We are always looking for funding with special, top-of-the-line wheelchairs made for certain sports costing R9 lakh. In the end, if we want to create an ecosystem for para-sport, ensuring steady progress, we need to start with the para-athletes within the system, who are still making their way to the top. If you do not have enough water to nurture a sapling, then, in time it is going to wither away," she signed off.

7
No of gold medals India won at the Paris Paralympics

29
Total no of medals India won at the Paris Paralympics