In her third Independence Day speech, President Draupadi Murmu spoke about affirmative action and the opening up of opportunity through the social justice agenda. She quoted B.R. Ambedkar: “Political democracy cannot last unless there lies at the base of it social democracy”.
As we approach the 2024 Paralympic Games after a relatively underwhelming Olympics campaign that was dogged by controversy, how many have moved back into the cricket/football grid, bidding adieu to multi-sport? But wait, if we are talking about social democracy shouldn’t we be gearing up to cheer our para-athletes with the same passion as our hockey team or Neeraj Chopra? If anything, they deserve it more. They need it more, having faced inequality and social discrimination for far too long.
I had a chance to interview Neeraj after his medal win in Paris and asked him about his thoughts on the Paralympics. He was categorical in his response. “I have said this before after I returned from Tokyo – we must follow the Paralympics. It’s not only in India that there is a lack of attention to them. It happens all over the world.”
The superstar athlete added: “Often people do not understand the many categories of para-sport. In any event there are several categories. But that’s a separate thing – the real thing is that despite so many difficulties they still play. That’s the biggest challenge. Winning a medal or not comes much later. They play, and that’s a big inspiration.”
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“Those who are healthy and fit stay happy with their lives, there is not enough motivation for them. So para-athletes motivate us, how they keep working so hard, though they have enough difficulty and hardships. They represent the country and teach us that if they can, why not us.”
This point of them being a greater inspiration than even our able-bodied athletes is something missed by many. It’s a point that needs to be hammered home now, more than ever. India is on the cusp of a revolution in Paralympics. And therein also lies a challenge. While the Indian media was in Paris in full numbers during the Olympics, how many will be there during the para-games? How many even figure it in at all? How many still make a secret smirk on the matter of Paralympics or when they speak of para-athletes? While our political class and corporate sector have started to embrace para-athletes and para-sport like nothing before, we need a change in the mindset of top media houses and the public at large.
And yet, this is a rapidly changing society where we speak of social justice, gender justice, gender and disability sensitisation. Although, a large part of this still stays in the realm of rhetoric. This time, Paralympics has the chance to turn rhetoric into a better reality. Nothing motivates most Indians more than seeing the tricolour go up, and if our para-athletes put up the show that we are expecting of them, it will surely fire the national imagination, after an underwhelming Olympics.
Not everybody would say like Neeraj Chopra – “woh khelte hain and woh sabse badi baat hain (they play, and that’s the biggest thing)”. An athlete of his stature understands the entire dynamics involved here. But for those of us who perhaps don’t, let us hope that a good para-games will fire their imagination.
Also Read: Paris Paralympics have the power to change perceptions back home