Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Delhi
Hyderabad
Madurai
Mangalore
Pondicherry
Tiruchirapalli
Thiruvananthapuram
Vijayawada
Visakhapatnam
Help him swim the ENGLISH CHANNEL
|
Sportsman Reddappa Setty has not let physical disability deter him. He has secured laurels and now wants to participate in a swimming championship in the U.K.
|
Reddappa Setty is looking for sponsors. — Photo: Murali Kumar K.
A YOUNG boy from a village in Andhra Pradesh was dreaming of being a sports champion. His PT master's encouraging words "you will become a very good sportsman" was constantly ringing in his ears. As ill luck would have it, at 17, a freak accident paralysed him from the waist below. Disabled in the prime of his youth, he should have given up hope, but he didn't. Eight years later, the spunky young man won medals at the Paralympics.
K.V. Reddappa Setty from V. Kota, A.P., has come a long way since his accident in '84. He is the first person to be selected from Karnataka to take part in a swimming competition in the U.K. next week. Will he make it? His wallet does not permit him to. Time is working against him. But anyone who hears his story would feel inspired to help.
It was at a district-level kabaddi tournament in Chittoor that Reddappa had the unfortunate accident. With his athletic build, he had excelled in every sport — javelin, discus, shot-putt. While play was on, an opponent grabbed him by his legs and Reddappa crashed to the ground. He fell so violently on his back that he suffered a crippling spinal injury. He was unconscious for a long time. Paralysed below the umbilicus, he was treated by local doctors, but even a week later, he was not able to pass urine. That was when he was brought to St. John's Hospital for treatment.
Months and years
Months stretched into years as he underwent a series of surgeries and rehabilitation programmes at St. John's and CMC Vellore. In '87, he was trained as a certified Orthotic and Prosthetic Technician at the Association for the Physically Disabled in Lingarajapuram. From there, he went on to work for various disability organisations in K.G.F., Coimbatore and Bangalore. He developed different kinds of tricycles for the physically challenged, one of which won a national award for the organisation he was working for at the time, Seva In Action.
In '92, someone drew his attention to a sports meet for the physically challenged that was going on at Lal Bagh. He went, he saw and was overwhelmed by the spirit of the participants. He promptly became a member of SCOPE (Sports Council for Paraplegics) and began taking part in events all over the country. Shot-putt, wheelchair race, javelin, discus, basketball and swimming — he won medals in them all. He even captained a cricket team that was runner-up in a tournament here.
Today, he makes a living by designing and crafting equipment for the physically challenged. He is a common sight at St. John's Hospital, buzzing about in his motorised three-wheeler donated by Sonia Gandhi in connection with the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation.
Encouraged by Dr. Kurien, the H.O.D. of Physical and Medical Rehabilitation, he comes here three days a week to supply aids and appliances to patients and motivate those who have given up hope of recovery. His earnings, a mere Rs. 3,000 a month barely helps him take care of his wife and school-going daughter. When in dire need, he supplements his income through tailoring (which he learnt while at the CMC, Vellore) and by driving his autorickshaw that he has modified for his use.
Reddappa is a born sportsman. Now and then, the desire to show his exploits on the sports field overcomes him. A golden opportunity came his way recently when the Paralympics Committee of India (IPC) selected him for the Disability Sport England Open Long Course Swimming Championship at Sheffield, U.K., to be held from May 6 to 8. The panel has fixed February 28 as the last date for confirmation of his participation. With barely a week for him to reply, he is not able to do so because he is woefully short of funds.
Beyond his means
The total expense he has to bear for the trip is Rs.75,000, beyond his means. Reddappa can manage to put together Rs. 20,000 from his own savings and needs the remaining amount. Since the IPC is a voluntary organisation, it cannot bear his expenses and expects participants to mobilise funds on their own. The tournament will not only help him gain recognition, but the results will be taken by the IPC for publication in the swimming rank list. This will help him gain entry into the IPC World Swimming Championship in 2006.
Reddappa remains hopeful. He is already dreaming of swimming across the English Channel. But before that, he must take part in the Sheffield Tournament and that can be done only if sponsors, both individuals and corporate help him realise a dream he thoroughly deserves.
Reddappa Setty can be contacted at 300/A, 8th Main, 11th Cross, Manjunatha Colony, Banashankari II Stage, Chennemmanakere, behind Vidyapeetha or on 20122442.
M.V. CHANDRASHEKAR
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Delhi
Hyderabad
Madurai
Mangalore
Pondicherry
Tiruchirapalli
Thiruvananthapuram
Vijayawada
Visakhapatnam
|
