While all eyes were on the IPL match between RCB and KKR on Friday, March 29, the date marked a special celebration at Five Mad Men in Sector-V. The gastroplaypub has become a favourite spot for sports fans in the city, who want to enjoy live matches on big screens. Despite the opportunity to have a big crowd for a mega IPL clash, 5MM chose to host a one-of-a-kind programme for para-athletes in West Bengal. In collaboration with the Civilian Welfare Foundation, ‘Rock for Paralympics’ was an event to raise funds to provide better facilities and equipment for athletes with disabilities in the state.
The event raised funds that will support the welfare and needs of over 300 athletes with various disabilities, aiding their journey to the Paralympic Games. Civilian Welfare Foundation (CWF) identified para-athletes in need of support in 2019 and has been working to help them ever since.
Rock for Paralympics raised fund for disabled athletes from Bengal
As the first-ever sports pub in the country to endorse parasports, Five Mad Men’s partnership with CWF was crucial for athletes who lack support from various government organisations. The event saw performers from various backgrounds sparking important conversations about the Paralympics and the challenges faced by these athletes. Rock for Paralympics has been raising over Rs 1,00,000 every year for para-athletes since 2019.
A pianist with Down syndrome performed in front of an enthralled audience
Shuvojit Moulik from CWF shared insights into the foundation’s operations ahead of the event, highlighting, “Not many people know that India has been taking part and winning Paralympic medals even before the Olympics. Athletes such as Masudur Rahman represented India at the Paralympics over 30 years ago but these names aren’t very well known. We discovered the lack of knowledge and development in this sector in 2011 and have been working to improve things ever since.” Speaking about how Rock for Paralympics came to exist, Shuvojit added, “We began this partnership with 5MM in 2019. The best part is that Rs 10 from every bill goes towards the funds for our para-athletes. We use this money for their training and to provide individual athletes with their needs, mainly nutrition, as these athletes come from lower-income backgrounds, and we support them in these areas.”
Funds from Rock for Paralympics will go athletes including (left) Pratima Ghosh, a visually challenged footballer, and (right) Neha Ghosh Dastidar, who has intellectual disabilities and plays shot put
While raising funds for the athletes is a crucial part of why Rock for Paralympics exists, another important goal for both 5MM and CWF is to raise awareness about parasports. “We hold events throughout the year to raise funds, but along with that, raising awareness about parasports is important because people need to understand the kind of hurdles our athletes face. We have been organising this event for the past five years and we’ve had artistes like EPR and Grooverz take to stage to support these events. This year we have Silajit Majumder,” informed Shuvojit Moulik.
With various performers taking on stage, the audience was exposed to the different forms of struggles that these athletes with disabilities face. CWF supports 260 intermediate athletes and 56 elite athletes in Bengal. “The last Paralympics contingent that went to Tokyo was India’s largest contingent, yet unfortunately, there wasn’t a single one from Bengal. Our target is to help at least two athletes from our state make it to the next Paralympics,” said Shuvojit.
Sayan Roy from 5MM and (right) Shuvojit from CWF at the event
Speaking to Sayan Roy of 5MM, My Kolkata learnt how and why Five Mad Men is extending their support for such athletes. “As a sports pub, we didn’t just want to make money out of sports but also support sports in some form. When CWF approached us in 2019, it struck a chord for us personally, and we decided to go ahead with Rock for Paralympics. Today, we could have screened the IPL match but decided not to because there is always attention on cricket. We wanted to bring attention to Paralympics, which is something that actually needs eyes on it.”
Sayan used to swim in the same pool as Masadur Raham and remembers being inspired by the late swimmer. “We screened the Tokyo Paralympics live. At 5MM, we believe in giving back to society, and what better way than to support CWF and their mission to help para-athletes from West Bengal,” he said, adding, “We plan to make this bigger in the future by bringing artistes from across the country so that the audience grows and so does our means to support these athletes. We don’t just support them because they are para-athletes, but because we have seen their talent and their hard work. We realise the necessity of supporting them to achieve their goals.”
Silajit performed at 5MM and the proceeds will be directed to an NGO, Noukaa, to support first-generation learners
Singer Silajit Majumder, who was the performer of the night, said “Today, there is a need to support these athletes and others who require support to have a shot at a better life. The proceeds from this event will go to my NGO, Noukaa, which looks after the education of 30 first-generation learners. We have created an environment for them to learn subjects like Maths, English and Bangla, so that they can do better in life. I do a few shows every year that helps raise funds for my organisation and the sum from this performance will go in supporting Noukaa for the next three months.”
