Dust beneath the trophies

Behind the fading glitter of the medals is a story of grit and determination to overcome the obvious odds in her way. For Sonar, the daughter of a worker at the KAF and stricken with polio at the age of two, straitened family circumstances meant that she could not go to school. 8220;I would spend most of my evenings watching the inmates of the nearby Khadki Paraplegic Home as they played games like basketball. I could not afford a wheelchair so I would just sit on the wall to watch. On one such occasion, they casually asked me if I would join them in case they lent me a wheelchair. I readily agreed,8221; she remembers.

It was a decision that was to change the way she looked at life. 8220;I enjoyed playing. It is a different thrill. I wanted to try my hand at everything 8211; basketball, javelin, shotput, wheelchair races, even carrom. I started to practice every evening,8221; she says. Before long, she was taking part in various State-level competitions, which entailed travelling to cities like Bangalore, Delhi, Nagpur, Chennai and Mumbai. 8220;I used to feel handicapped but at the sport meets, I met people who had no limbs, who were immobile from their neck downwards, who could only use their mouths. After talking to them, I felt encouraged to go on,8221; she says. Hard work paid off and brought with it its share of recognition and cherished moments.

The wheelchair parked in front of her house, that she points out as her lucky vehicle, is a prize she won at a wheelchair race that was part of the 1988 Pune Marathon.

Another memorable moment came the day she won the Shiv Chhatrapati Award 1986-87 for best disabled sportsperson, a photograph of which enjoys place of pride in the Sonar drawing room. She cannot keep the pride from her voice as she relates her feelings on being given the award. 8220;When my name was announced in the newspapers, I could not believe it. I had only been playing for about two years when I received it, whereas sportsmen and women have to struggle for many years before they can achieve recognition. It made me decide to continue to play,8221; she remembers.

Her recent win in the wheelchair race at the XVI Maharashtra State Sports Meet for the Disabled only added to her confidence. 8220;When a reporter asked me how I felt before the race, I told him I was sure of winning. And I did!8221; she smiles triumphantly.

Confident and in control when in the sports arena, Sonar8217;s home front is another story. 8220;I cannot be dependent on my family forever. Laxminarayan, a Mumbai-based club, has been kind enough to sponsor my visits to various tournaments. But how long can I do that? I have been making the rounds of the employment exchange and various government offices but no one seems to pay attention to me. On the one hand, people stop by to tell me how much they appreciate my achievements. On the other hand, when I go to these officials, they doubt my ability to do any constructive work,8221; says a distressed Sonar. Due to impoverished circumstances, she will be unable to make it to the Beijing National Games for the Disabled, to be held next year, although she was short-listed.

Sonar8217;s hopes are now pinned on her plea to the Khadki Cantonment Board for allotment of a telephone booth in the area, for which board member William Smith and Meri Apni, an NGO, have offered to extend support. Indomitable in spirit, she refuses to give in, 8220;I have tried so much. I do not want to lose faith so soon8221;.