Equal footing

There was a sort of magic to his footwork on the ground, and it was indeed a feast to my eyes to view him balancing perfectly well on his crutch, as a well-trained gymnast would do, and play as best as others did. He could not obviously run the length and breadth of the football ground, but when it came to a display of foot power, he was second to none; he would kick the ball with such force that not many of his fellow players were brave enough to stand in his way. His one foot with the assistance of the crutch worked for the missing foot, and the coordination between his single foot and the crutch seemed so perfect that only a seasoned ballet dancer could ever think of attaining such perfect synchronisation.

How could he ever balance himself so well on a crutch and perform such feats? Was he trained? Did he go to special school? These were some of the questions that naturally cropped up in my mind. However, as a boy coming from the low-income neighbourhood, he was hardly the type of person who could have afforded any special training. It was nothing but a display of sheer determination of the spirit in a small human body.

Physical handicap did not deter him from living his life as fully as he could. A game like football requires healthy feet, besides a good stamina to withstand the physical strain. But here is someone who exhibited some uncanny power emanating from the depths of his spirit that took him to heights that many others would hardly reach. Single-footed, but a footballer all the same, something that amazed me for a long time.