Hyderabad, 22nd November 2019 : Able-bodied celebrities and Sr. Bureaucrats like Ms Lakshmi Manchu and Ms Sanjana Galrani; Shri Jayesh Ranjan, Principal Secretary - IT; Smt Abhilasha Bisht, ADG, TSSP; Shri Sajjanar, IPS, CP, Cyberabad; Shri Ram Krishnan, Secretary, HMDA; Shri Dinakar Babu, IAS, MD, Sports Authority of Telangana; Shri Tarun Joshi, IPS, Jt. CP, and others, showcased their sporting skills by vying for honours against eminent para-athletes, Raj Aryardhan, Wheelchair Common Wealth Table Tennis medalist & World number 2; Hopping Star, Girish Sharma, a one legged badminton star; Anand, past world number 1 para badminton player; Gurlal Singh, 1st Indian to win bronze in Asian Games Cycling, Monisha - Badminton - speech and hearing difficulty; Arshad for hand cycling and archery, which even the able bodied sportsmen couldn't replicate; Bala, India's number 1 wheelchair lawn tennis player and others at the unique Sporting Event - Celebrities vs Para-athletes, an initiative of Aditya Mehta Foundation (AMF), on Friday at Central Recreation Garden (CRG), Mindspace.
Year after year World Disability Day evokes sympathy from the public at large for the disabled and in no time the purpose of celebrating the day fades away. Aditya Mehta Foundation would like to change this perception and the typical attitude of the society towards the disabled. It is celebrating the occasion such a way that the disabled gain dignity and admiration from the society. The road show hosted by AMF showcased para-athletes as the stars, says Aditya Mehta, Founder of the Aditya Mehta Foundation.
The details of some of the para-athletes who participated in the event are:
S. Balachandar - Gold Medalist from 2016 to 2019, National Level, Doubles category in Wheelchair Tennis sport-Currently, Silver medalist, National level in Singles category, Silver medals, doubles category in international Open events such as Malaysian Open, Srilankan Open, Thailand Open.
Gurlal Singh- 1st Indian to win bronze in Asian Games in para-cycling 2017 and 2019(no able bodied indian has also won). He is from BSF and lost his limb in an ID blast;
Anand Kumar, Para Badminton- former World #1, World Champion 2015 & ASIAN GAMES Bronze Medalist 2018
Raj Airvardhan - International para Table Tennis Player ,World Ranking no 31,Asia Ranking no 13 Indian Ranking no 1 (14 times national Para TT Gold medalist, Coach : ITTF- PTT Level 1, Commonwealth Games 2010, ITTF PTT World Championship 2014 Beijing.
Girish kumar Sharma - ParaBadminton-former World # 2, 2008 Asian champion Gold medallist, 2018 Dubai Bronze medalist, World number 16 in 2018
Sake Babu - past CISF, District National champion in Para-Athletics
Indian Para- cycling Team: Gurlal Singh - Asian Bronze Medalist and Birbhadra and Ajay Kumar from CRPF and Kaigoulal.
Rahul Kuthe - Para- Badminton from CRPF
Sunil Kumar - Para- Badminton from CRPF
Monisha - Badminton - Speech and hearing difficulty
Arshad for hand Cycling and Archery
AMF is hosting a Solidarity Run and Ride on 1st December, 2019, the road show hosted today is a prelude to the Run, to generate support and encouragement from the community for para sports and Para Athletes. The celebrities and dignitaries who attended the Road show today, endorsed their support for the same. AMF looks forward to public registering in large numbers for the run, as a token of support to the cause of the disabled.
The World Disability Day falls on 3rd December, however AMF and CRPF have chosen 1st December, a Sunday for the Solidarity run and ride. The Run is an opportunity to announce to the world that disabled can achieve as much or even more than the able-bodied. Road accidents are a major cause for disability off-late, AMF intends to sensitise the public on avoidable road accidents and emphasise on safe driving, through the run. It's also an occasion to express our gratitude to the police, for the critical role they play in preventing such accidents and disability.
The Solidarity run and ride, is being supported by CRPF, Hyderabad Police, Cyberabad Police, Sports Authority of Telangana, Rachakonda Police and National Police Academy, Mindspace Raheja, Bharathi Cements, Flash, Aurobindo Pharma, B.N Rathi and Sons, HMDA, Continental Hospitals, Kotak Mahindra, SCSC, Macromedia, Might Events, Vajra Events, Aparna, CISF and Hyderabad Runners.
Around 10,000 able-bodied are expected to run and ride on the 1st of December to support the cause and show solidarity and raise awareness for Para-Athletes. The registration for the 5km and 10 km run/ride can be done on this link: http://bit.ly/DisabiIityDav2019AMF
About Aditya Mehta Foundation
Aditya Mehta Foundation has been helping athletes with disabilities to pursue sports since 2013. After becoming disabled, a persons life changes drastically- he becomes, depressed and dependant. As per the country's latest statistics, an estimated 2.1 percent of the Indian population has a disability; a humbling figure of over 26 million people. 12.2% (43.04 lakh) out of its 3.52 crore population, as per 2011 census in the new Telangana state, are disabled and they could be suffering from one or more forms of disabilities.
The core aim of AMF is to motivate people who have lost their limbs to first bring a sense of purpose in their life and divert it towards sports and second to give them the opportunities and facilities to reach excellence in Para sports. AMF empowers all those who lost their limbs and to help them gain a sense of achievement and dignity through sports from grass root levels. This foundation has been set up by Aditya Mehta.
AMF is proud to announce the launching of the Asia's 1st Para-Sports Rehabilitation and Training Academy in Asia. The foundation has now constructed a training academy which will be training Divyangans from across the nation from basic level in 15 para-sports in the Academy: Para Cycling, Para Archery, Para Shooting, Para skating, Para powerlifting, Rowing and Canoeing, Para judo, Para Badminton, Para boccia, Para table tennis, Para volleyball, Para triathlon, Para Athletics, Para Swimming.
