VISAKHAPATNAM: Whoever said that disability is a curse. Sankalp, an initiative started by Global Aid, has actually shown that it is not. With an aim to promote parasport, it has launched a wheelchair basketball eight-member team in the city on Saturday.
G Rajesh, who graduated from NIT, almost lost hope after meeting with an accident in which he suffered a spinal injury.
Having been introduced to wheelchair basketball, he not only grew in stature, but has become a pro at the game.
“After my disability, my parents thought my condition would be a hindrance in my growth and that I would get into a shell. On the contrary, it helped me discover myself. By playing wheelchair basketball, I have become more confident now,” Satya, an international player, said.
She is now a qualified coach for wheelchair basketball. “Earlier, none of us got an opportunity to play sports. I was passionate to work for the disabled, to work for them and that made me to come up with Sankalp,” Sai Padma, who is the founder of Global Aid, said. She is a polio survivor with 70 per cent disability and also a disability activist.
There is another player Hema Kalyani. She is a member of Andhra Wheelchair Basketball Association and a software engineer.
Kalyani works on weekdays and practises the wheelchair basketball on weekends.
After launching the team, a theme song for parasport in India, Hindi version, sung by Arun Vedula, was released by music composer RP Patnaik. The video featured players from the Wheelchair Basketball Association.