No society can be truly equal, until every single member has access to quality resources and opportunities.
This was the resounding theme at ‘Sports Without Limits’, an event organised by the British deputy high commission (BDHC) Kolkata, in partnership with Indo-British Scholars’ Association (IBSA), Rotary Club of Calcutta Metro City, and Connections on December 18.
The event’s vision was to commemorate the International Day of Persons with Disabilities 2024, by facilitating players from the West Bengal Cricket Association for Differently Abled (WBCADA). The British deputy high commission in Kolkata also hosted a panel discussion titled ‘Amplifying leadership in Disability Cricket’ to emphasise the importance of institutions providing support and encouragement to differently abled sportspersons.
The panel comprised British deputy high commissioner Andrew Fleming, user involvement project manager at The Advocacy Project Ritushree Guha, WBCADA secretary Utpal Majumdar and vice-president of corporate communications, corporate affairs and corporate social responsibility at Merlin Group Sarbani Bhattacharya. Amit Sengupta, the British deputy high commission’s head of press & communications in east & northeast India moderated the conversation.
Having worked in disability rights and sensitisation, Guha emphasised that the first barrier that employers needed to overcome while hiring people with disabilities, was to provide better access. “Is the lift working? Are there ramps and hoists in the office? The workplace must have basic facilities that people need to live their life with dignity and respect,” she said. She also drew inspiration from growing up with a twin sister who had a disability. “I never understood why relatives would tell her: ‘You won’t be able to do it,’ because she was extremely capable. It made me realise that making assumptions comes in the way of inclusivity,” she added, citing how most WBCADA players had proved how people with disability can juggle training with work.
The event comprised a panel discussion titled ‘Sports Without Limits’, moderated by (extreme left) Amit Sengupta, featuring (L-R) Utpal Majumdar, Sarbani Bhattacharya, Ritushree Guha and Andrew Fleming
Majumdar, who captained the India cricket team to an emphatic win in the 2012 World Cup for disabled persons shared the ground reality on what players face. “Players aren’t bogged down by their disabilities but by economics. Most sportspersons with disabilities have no dearth of talent but often have to give up their dreams because they don’t come from privilege and need to provide for the family. Some are discouraged by the family due to fear of injury. Some even go on to play for India but need to quit because of the lack of revenue,” he sighed. Citing his own career as an example, Majumdar stated that the achievements were only because of support. “The one thing we need from your end is support. If you have a sportsperson with a disability at home, don’t tell them, ‘Hobe na.’ Say, ‘Keno hobe na?’, That’s all we really want,” he beamed.
Bhattacharya shared examples of how both her current and previous organisations had supported sporting tournaments for differently abled players not because of a robust CSR budget but because of passion. “People often complain that such events can’t be organised because there are no spectators. But as corporates, it is our duty to come forward and organise more such games so that the people know about the potential of differently abled athletes, paving the way for spectators eventually tuning in,” Bhattacharya said. She also emphasised that the first step is to create awareness, especially at the school level, so that the leaders of tomorrow can be shaped from a nascent stage.
Fleming pointed out a key difference between tokenism and actual change, urging institutions to veer away from photo-op events where the differently abled are invited, but inevitably, only the institutions benefit. “Events must provide differently abled athletes the space for conversations and sharing lived-experiences. One of the biggest challenges is combating the stigma associated with disability, making it even more important to share global success stories to help people understand it better,” he explained. To reinforce this, Jane Powell, the performance manager of Disability Cricket at England and Wales Cricket Board and Rob Tipping, head of Cricket Programmes at Lord’s Taverners joining remotely from London to enlist the initiatives they had taken to raise awareness about disability cricket.
Fleming felicitated Utpal Majumdar for his sparkling career as a cricketer with the Indian team, and secretary of WBCADA
Sengupta brought attention to the role of the media in this regard. “The media is extremely crucial in increasing awareness. They can inform the masses about how leadership qualities are transferred between sports and work, transforming the perception of differently abled athletes.
Judhajit Mukherjee, former state-level cricketer and a BCCI-certified coach, was also at the event, and offered a unique solution, of absorbing all differently abled cricket bodies under the the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB). “We need to have these bodies under one common umbrella. Only with this unified and concrete effort in promoting cricket can we identify young talent and give them the right encouragement to achieve greater excellence.”
After the panel discussion, IBSA and BDHC presented a cricket kit to players from WBCADA. Nandini Roy, chair of IBSA’s Programme Council, said: “This event has been an eye-opener, drawing attention to how differently abled people overcome so much to play competitive sport. It reminds me of Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, who captained Team India with just one eye.” IBSA vice-president Reetasri Ghosh added: “From overcoming physical challenges to leading their teams to victory, these players are true role models.”
