Disability Sports - Is Bengal Ready For It And What Is The Way Forward?

What do you expect from someone from a five-member family which depends on Rs 4000 rupees per month? In Bengal, we expect them to run, win national medals and still survive. Rita Ghosh, a visually impaired swimmer from Nadia district is a perfect example.

And ask her how could she break all barriers of her disability and social hindrances? She would proudly answer that swimming is the reason! Ask her how did she control the ugliest thing she hated in herself? She would proudly say sports! But question is what has Bengal given back to her in return.

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Take the example of Saheb Hussain ! When Aamir Khan was told in a Live Talk Show that the fastest running athlete in 100m in India is in Bengal and he is blind, Amir khan didn't speak for at least 3 seconds! Bihari by birth, Saheb has been representing Bengal for the last 12 years now. He has rejected several offers by several states/groups with better facilities to represent them, because of his love for Bengal. But what Bengal has given to him? He doesn't even have a house to stay for the past 14 months!

In this state of affairs to support Bengal Para-athletes Five Mad men, a gastro play pub in sector 5, Kolkata along with Civilian Welfare Foundation, a non-profit organisation came up to organise a fundraiser named ¡°Rock for Paralympics ¡° on 2nd of August 2019. Idea was simple for every ticket sold , 50% would go for the para-athletes. The Grooverz , the celebrated rock band performed voluntarily for the cause. The result was not what we thought of. Only 50 K could be raised. Among that 35k was given through cheque to the 3 athletes present at the event - Harilal Tudu, blind cricketer, Sahir Ali, international para-volley player and Anamika Gorai, youngest Indian international swimmer. Even the people who flocked in to enjoy their Friday night at the pub were not even much interested in appreciating the para-athletes present in the event. Is it different from any other Paralympic event we have organised , Sadly NO , Paralympics is still distant from popularity !

Now the question is- why is it happening ?

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Is it a marketing failure ? If someone delves into popular branding strategies , disability sports is always represented as an inspiration porn or sympathy punch. What happens because of that , general people don¡¯t see themselves doing this as a sport instead they only see this as an inspiration alert. In 2016, Civilian Welfare Foundation paved the way for the first broadcast of Paralympic Games in ESPN and DD sports in 38 years in India from Rio, Brazil. While there is an increasing awareness for disability sports but the interest in getting involved has much less to do with this. Moreover one of the common phobias is Teratophobia, the fear of viewing deformity which we as an able-bodied person might go through.

Alternative ? We have to make disability sports a regular thing like any other sports, we have to make people believe that what they see can be achieved and getting involved with Paralympics will only makes things better. The more we see it , the more we will get out of teratophobia. Moreover inclusion in various areas like education , health, entertainment is a key aspect of this change. That will make abled persons get accustomed to disability and won¡¯t be seeing them as a matter of sympathy or even a stretched inspiration.

Silver lining is - not everyone is thinking on the same line. Amitava Bandyopadhyay, one of the owners of Five Mad Men and a supporter of Paralympic support activities of the pub ¡­mentioned even 30 odd tickets sold is a good start, let us make our friends and families aware, others will follow!