The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Giving the visually challenged the pleasure of playing

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jul 03, 2006

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Giving the visually challenged the pleasure of playing

Staff Reporter

Around 150 players participated in the adapted volleyball tournament

SOARING SPIRIT: A game of adapted volleyball in progress during the tournament for the disabled, organised by Nethrodaya, in city on Sunday. — Photo: K. Pichumani

CHENNAI: The adapted volleyball South India level tournament for the visually challenged, organised by Nethrodaya, concluded at the Leo Matriculation School on Sunday.

Around 150 players, coaches and teachers from across south India participated in, what Nethrodaya founder Govindakrishnan, called a "festival of play."

"The idea was to give the visually challenged the pleasure of playing, instead of traditional donations of money and resources," he said.

The meet was special because it represented the coming together of the government, community and corporates, he said.

Chikungunya scare

There were some disappointments. The girls' team from Karnataka could not come because of the chikungunya scare.

The teams that participated had practised weeks in advance. The playing field was levelled with participants with partial impairment playing blindfolded. Thirteen teams, mostly consisting of persons between 17 and 24, played for two days. The team from the Indian Association of the Blind, Madurai, were declared winners in boys section.

Students between classes seven and ten from IELC School for the Blind, Bargur, Krishnagiri District, won in the girls' section.

At the valedictory session, Minister for Social Welfare Poongothai said efforts needed to be made to integrate the visually challenged and make it possible for them to grow up at home, rather than in hostels and other institutions.

Playback singer Karthik had the audience cheering with his renditions of recent hits. The Kerala team gave him a standing ovation for a Malayalam number.

Adapted volleyball is played by rolling the ball under the net and has been popularised by a project conducted at the YMCA school for physical education in the city.

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