Mumbai: Around 8:30 a.m. on Sunday, when the Champions with Disabilities run of the Mumbai Marathon got over, popular Bollywood songs were being played at an enclosure near Xaviers College in Mumbai.
In this enclosure, the meeting area of the participants of the race, children were performing song and dance on a small stage and being cheered by a crowd. People can be seen taking photographs and mingling with the song the dance.
At the entrance, volunteers hand out medals to the participants of the race. “There is no first prize or second prize in this race. Everyone is a winner here,” says a volunteer associated to the marathon.
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Inside are members of organisations that help differently abled people. They are wearing colourful jerseys of red, blue, yellow, and green.
“We are from the Nina Foundation,” says Madhu Singh, a senior member of the organisation, which works towards rehabilitation of people with spinal injury. Ms. Singh is with the blue jersey group, which raced the marathon in their wheelchairs. Cheerfully she says that this is her fifth year at the marathon and she is having a great time. When asked about what message she has for people suffering from disabilities, she says, “Life doesn’t end here; it’s only beginning.”
Another member of the group, 41-year-old Bhavna Chheda, flanked by her parents, says there is a need for a rehabilitation centre in Mumbai for people suffering from the disability. “There are over 500 people in Mumbai who are suffering from spinal injuries. There are rehabilitation centres for them in New Delhi and Vellore but not in Mumbai. We also do not have disable friendly infrastructure.”
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Sitting away from the crowd in a wheelchair is a heavily built man. After striking a conversation, Mohammed Gous R.K., 22, a professional physical trainer from Karnataka, says that he has been eyeing for the gold medal in the Pune International Marathon that is supposed to be held on January 29 and that his race in the Mumbai Marathon was a step towards that aim.
Mr. Gous suffered from a polio attack nearly three years ago, which restricted him to a wheelchair, however, he says that the disability has not wavered his will of achieving goals. “It is a test and we can’t consider ourselves as weak. We are just like everyone else and we should be treated as an equal,” he said.
Members of the Hemophilia Society Mumbai also raised their cause in the run. Speaking to The Hindu the president of the organisation Balshiram Gadhave said that the patients affected by the disease need government’s support as not all of them can sustain treatment on their own. “The treatment is very expensive and not everyone can afford it. We need government to intervene, because, without their support we cannot survive,” he said.
The War Wounded Foundation also participated in the Dream Run segment of the marathon. Its members, Subedar Satnir Singh, 55, and Ashok Kumar, 42, say that despite being wounded in different wars, they are ready to serve the army in any possible way. “We are still strong and willing to serve the country. People who get wounded in wars start feeling depressed and moving away from the daily chores of life. We are here to show support to them.”