Confidence speaks at Abilympics

NEW DELHI: The one thing clearly missing at the first National Abilympics that concluded on Friday was inhibition. "The indomitable spirit of the participants has multiplied," said disabilities commissioner Uma Tuli.
"They are confident and are not shy of performing in public. It''s a convergence of the physically challenged with mainstream society," she said.
Almost 600 winners of the regional games conducted last year met at Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium to compete in various contests of vocational skills for persons with disabilities.
The three-day event covered 45 vocational and leisure skills like cane technology, wood carving, painting, batik, embroidery, CAD engineering drawing, jewellery making, chess, macrame, cartooning and computer programming.
The winners of this meet will participate in the sixth International Abilympics to be held in India for the first time next year. And the participants are raring to go.
Organised by the National Abilympic Association of India, the event is being supported by the International Abilympic Federation, Rehabilitation International, Hongkong Foundation, the Centre and the Delhi state government, besides various voluntary and corporate groups.
"The participants'' sheer skills overwhelm you. They feel they must be that much better to prove themselves," said Vinod Khanna of HPS Foundation, which is conducting most of the computer-based contests.
That''s clear from the way Ilaben Dhirubai from Gujarat competed in the embroidery section. With hands made useless by polio, Ilaben used her feet to embroider. Right from threading the needle to the last stitch, Ilaben used her toes and refused to take any help.
Polio couldn''t stop Ashok Kumar from Bhojpur in Bihar. Working with the Manav Kalyan Evan Sood Sansthan, Kumar was here to show his skill at carpet making. "I have won the regional games. I hope I win here too," Kumar said.
The spirit was obvious in 10-year-old Sunita Sinha form Chirwaha, Rajasthan. Prepared to participate in the sketching competition, Sinha was asked to work with water colours. "I have never worked with water colours before. But the organisers insisted I use water colours. But I think I''ve done a good job with water colours too," she said.
Such goofups should be avoided if we want the international meet to be successful, said Anjlee Agarwal, one of the judges and member of a voluntary group for the disabled.
"Materials for many contests did not arrive on time. The toilets are stinking and the venue is not disabled-friendly. There''s general chaos. Volunteers are many but they hardly know what to do. Such mismanagement won''t do. We have to begin work now if we have to meet international standards by next year," she said.