Girl bags three golds for Gujarat in paralympics

Ahmedabad: Kavi Chavda made Gujarat proud by winning three gold medals at the recent National Para Athletic Championship held in Jaipur. Out of 10 games, Chavda participated in three events – javelin throw, discus throw and shot put, and topped in all three.

It wasn’t unexpected, because last year, too, she had won golds in these three games for Gujarat when the national-level competition was held in Punjab by the Paralympic Committee of India.

What was unexpected to hear, however, was that two months ago, she had missed a chance to participate in the international competition held in Dubai, just because of lack of coaching facilities in Gujarat for disabled athletes. “We do not have any coaching facility for the disabled the way other state governments have been providing. Since there was no proper guidance, I fell short,” she said.

It was also revealing to hear that the disabled girl, who has won 21 gold medals at state and national-level competitions, is struggling for finance. She is banking on the state government’s promise to give prizes of Rs 2 lakh to sportsmen or athletes for winning gold medals.

However, her experience is that ‘divyangs’ in Gujarat rarely receive their prize money, unlike in other states. And expecting a government job in Gujarat in the disabled quota is a distant dream.

Still, she hopes that the government will keep its word, and the prize money, if received, will help her to concentrate on preparing for the next international competition to be held in Brazil. Chavda began participating in these games in the Khel Mahakumbh in 2011. Since then, she has been winning golds consistently in all three games of her choice in the disabled people’s category.

The 28-year-old from Junagadh had to drop out after completion of her second year of bachelor’s course due to social and economic problems, after her father lost an eye in a botched cataract surgery.

“Of four sisters, I was the only one who had cleared standard 12 and was studying in college. I had to start working to maintain the family,” Chavda said, adding that she had to shift to Ahmedabad in search of a job. She has worked at various places including at the Civil Hospital as data operator on fixed wage. It was during her stay in Ahmedabad that she had come into contact with an NGO, Think Positive, which encouraged her and other disabled youths to participate in Khel Mahakumbh and then at the national level competition.