I have witnessed many ‘Divyang’ people taking their lives under stress and losing hope. I have been in the same dark area once but refused to give up. My efforts are focussed at giving them a purpose of life to which they could hold on forever and shine like a star.
Even as he breaks down stones at a construction site, Rajendra Singh Dhami – the former captain of Uttrakhand and India Wheelchair Cricket Team – hasn’t lost hope of helping people like him.
With the pandemic bringing all sporting activities to a halt, the captain of the Indian team for 5 matches, had to return to his village in Raikot, Pithoragarh from Rudrapur, reports Indian Express.
He later started working at a construction site, along with his father, to help sustain his family which has a monthly earning of merely ₹3000.
Appeals are now being made on the internet to help him out.
Dhami, who lost the ability to walk due to polio at the early age of 2, got to know about cricket through social media.
It was more of a hobby than passion for the game in the beginning but as I got involved, the game became my life.
However, representing India as a captain isn’t his only achievement. He is also a postgraduate degree holder in History who was preparing for Uttarakhand state provincial civil services in 2012 but could not continue further due to financial constraints.
More recently, he was given ₹11,000 by actor Sonu Sood but that’s it. The prize he received for his cricketing achievements in the year 2015, along with promises of being given a job was never honoured.
In the interview to Indian Express, he ultimately says, “No one leaves one’s birthplace without pressing concerns which exceed emotional need to continue living where you are born”. While adding that the government needs to look after the infrastructure and opportunities in border areas like the one where he comes from.