6 min readAug 15, 2023 09:52 AM IST
First published on: Aug 15, 2023 at 07:30 AM IST
Let me first say that because of sports, I have started living. Sports gave me the freedom to live the way I wanted to but never imagined would be possible. This may be true for most sportspersons, but you need to know a little about me to truly understand why I say I started living because of sports.
I won the table tennis silver medal at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics and the 2022 Commonwealth Games gold medal, but I had to struggle a lot. I was diagnosed with polio after I turned a year old and my life hit a roadblock. Not just my life, but that of those close to me too. Everything was a struggle.
I come from a small village, Sundhiya, in Gujarat. There were no facilities for disabled persons. Going to school was a challenge. My parents had to carry me on their shoulders to school and we fell several times during the rainy season.
Neighbours would take digs at me, saying my parents won’t always be there for me. It hurt me when they said this, but all I could do was smile and tell them that I am going to do something great.
Everything changed when, at the age of 12, I moved to the Blind People’s Association in Vastrapur, Ahmedabad, to learn computers. It was here that I came across impaired children playing table tennis and decided to take up the sport. More importantly, I saw that people were much more physically challenged than me.
When I first started playing table tennis, it was just a leisure activity — something to divert my mind. I soon realised that it was giving a new meaning to my life. It was something I looked forward to every day. It motivated me to work harder, train harder and learn new techniques.
I required tremendous support. Have you ever realised that when someone supports your dream, it gives you immense freedom to chase your dreams? It also gives you the freedom to make mistakes, because you have assurance from someone who loves you. In my initial struggle, that was my dad.
My father had a small bangle shop in the village. We were not doing well financially, but when I told him I wanted to learn computers, he didn’t hesitate to send me for the course. When I told him I want to play table tennis professionally, he still did not say no. Sports for a disabled person can be quite an expensive affair. My dad saw that I was passionate about it. He had to take care of three kids, but still never said no to me. He took loans and asked people for money but never made me feel that I’m disabled. He always made me a priority and fulfilled all my wants.
I was very lucky in finding a life partner. He’s the most supportive husband a physically challenged player can have. Long before I won medals, when I was just starting to play table tennis professionally, he could cater to all my needs. We weren’t in a financial position to hire experts like physiotherapists or trainers. But my husband ensured that I got what I needed and if there was nobody to give me the treatment, he gave it to me. Whenever I had body pain, he became a masseuse. Sometimes he would don the role of a motivational speaker, at other times, a physical trainer. He doesn’t say no to me and that’s why I can concentrate on my sport and become the best in the world.
After playing the sport for so long, I can see that all those obstacles I was facing have begun to disappear. I know I am still a disabled woman, but I’ve become very strong because of the sport and because of the backing I have received from my family. I used to be timid and would worry about every little thing but now I have tremendous confidence. I speak at schools, colleges and universities the world over. Just the other day I gave a speech in IIT Gandhinagar and I got much love and respect.
Think about it. A disabled woman from a small village is giving motivational speeches about how she took up sports professionally and won a medal at the Paralympics. Would I be invited to speak at these prestigious institutions if it wasn’t for sport?
I have a job. I am earning well and can live in comfort. I don’t have to worry about anything. If I want to train abroad, I just have to ask and the government sends me. If I need any kind of expert, I’m provided with it. My coach and my husband can travel with me for my events or training.
It’s not that I am living a privileged life. I have had to work very hard and continue to do so to make India proud and to better the silver medal when I compete at the Paris Olympics. It’s not easy. I wake up at 3 am every day and train for around four-five hours. Then after lunch and a bit of rest, I start training again in the evening. This is an athlete’s schedule and I am not complaining because this is what has given me my new life.
In India, the physically challenged don’t have complete freedom though things are improving steadily. Even now, there are not many wheelchair-accessible places. When we go abroad, we feel that the road is made for us too. We need to feel that in India too. I am sure of that and I am waiting for it. For me, that will be freedom in its best sense.
The writer is a Paralympic silver medallist and Commonwealth Games gold medallist
In India, the physically challenged don’t have complete freedom though things are improving steadily. Even now, there are not many wheelchair-accessible places. (Express File Photo) 
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