Inclov, the world’s first matchmaking app for the disabled, organised India’s first inclusive sports meet in Chennai. With boccia and wheelchair basketball, the organisers aim to create a team to represent India at the Paralympics.
CHENNAI: Soft murmurs of conversation punctuated with bursts of laughter filled the cavernous bright hall at Rush, RA Puram, where Inclov, the world’s first matchmaking app focusing on persons with disabilities (PWDs), had organised India’s first ever inclusive sports meet up. Inclov started as an agency, for allowing PWDs to find potential life partners, and later became an app to reach a wider audience.
They began 'Inclov Social Spaces’ to bring live meetups, and since August 29 was National Sports Day, they decided to conceptualise their third event in Chennai around sports to promote sports as an inclusive platform. “We also meant to promote sports like boccia and wheelchair basketball that are played at international levels. This was a good chance to do so,” says Shankar.
After a brief but warm introduction session of ‘Know your neighbour’, the participants lined up in their wheelchairs in a rows of six for a game of boccia. “It’s part of the Paralympic games, but we still don’t have an Indian team. We thought we could promote this game.
There are many people with severe disabilities who cannot play at all, but this game can be played with hands, and other assistive devices, such as pipes or anything!” explains Sathish Kumar from Ektha foundation, which has been promoting and training people in boccia in several districts of Tamil Nadu over a year. The balls used in the game are specifically designed to not bounce. “One set of balls cost around `10,000 which we imported from abroad, as it’s not available in India,” he explains.
After a few successful games of boccia, the participants were treated to a basic training game of wheelchair basketball. A lot tougher and precise than basketball, wheelchair basketball requires strenuous prior preparation by the player. “Training is very specific to the challenges of the person. The game’s point scale is classified based on the team members' disability levels. A team’s entire classification should be within 14,” explains Thayumana Subramaniam, coach for wheelchair basketball, Tamil Nadu. “There are two aspects — winning is only one, the other is to feel active and prove to oneself. Age is no bar, anyone can play with proper training and practice.”
Highlighting the importance of such meetups, he feels that it will help identify potential players. “Finding wheelchair basketball players in Tamil Nadu is challenging. In Chennai, there are around 50-60 players, and it's lesser in other states. It’s a growing game, so more people should join,” he says. Matilda, the president of TN Wheel Chair Basketball Association, concurs and adds, “Through this event, we have come to promote wheelchair basketball, as not many know about this.”
The meetup also served to bring together people in a setup that would provide friends and contacts. “I don’t get to see the sunny Chennai much, after shifting from Coimbatore. This event feels nice. The games have been very productive mentally and physically. I made a lot of friends, and maybe become a player,” says Pawin, who moved to Chennai six months ago. Comparing other social meets, he feels that this made him feel normal, and blend in. “The setup is social, and not in the backdrop of a hospital. The discussions are more friendly,” he says.
Inclov Social spaces began in January 2016, and so far have conducted over 25 meetups in the country across Bengaluru, Mumbai, New Delhi and other major cities. “The objective is to conceptualise meetups in such a way that PWDs come out to new places and experience what many of us take for granted,” he says, adding that their latest addition, nightlife meetups have begun, staring with New Delhi. “Everyone came up to me and told me that this is the first time they’d been inside a nightclub, and it was the best night of their life! And it’s not because they don’t want to go, or because they can’t afford it — it’s because of lack of opportunity,” he laments.
Compared to other cities, he feels that Chennai is a bit conservative. “In Chennai, we’ve seen that people have to be pushed to come out of their houses because you can see people are more reluctant, especially the women. It’s an empowering experience to meet people, come independently and mingle. We do see an increase in number of people, so it’s good,” he smiles.