Rajkot: For children with visual and physical disabilities, a career in sports can often seem out of reach. But at a school in Madhapar near Bhuj, 26-year-old Nirav Dike is helping turn that dream into reality, drawing on his own experience of partial blindness.Over the past five years, Dike, a sports teacher at Shree Navchetan Andhjan Mandal, has trained more than 40 children in sports ranging from goalball and cricket to athletics and powerlifting. His students have competed at district, state, national and international levels.Dike’s own experience shaped his decision to become a sports teacher.“I was interested in sports as a child, but I lacked access to teachers who could train children with disabilities. I studied first in a regular school and later at a school for children with disabilities. At both places, I noticed a shortage of physical education teachers equipped to help such students participate in sport,” he said.He underwent two years of specialised training in Kerala before taking up teaching. Today, Dike is a national-level cricket player and international-level goalball player. Alongside competing himself, he trains students and encourages them to consider sports as a career.More than 200 children with different disabilities study at the institute’s primary, secondary and higher secondary schools and its integrated girls’ primary school. The institute also provides accommodation, transport and study material to students pursuing graduation and postgraduate courses.Dike works with children who are completely blind, have limited vision or have physical disabilities affecting their arms or legs. Some have physical impairments of nearly 80%.His training covers football, goalball, cricket, chess, powerlifting, running, long jump, javelin and discus throw. Around 42 students have competed at the state level, nearly 30 at national-level competitions and another 30 at district-level events. Two students have also competed internationally.For Dike, however, the competitions are about more than medals. His larger ambition is to see athletes from Kutch with disabilities reach the Paralympic Games.Dhyan Tank, a class 12 student, who plays football, goalball and other sports, said, “I lost my vision years ago and all my dreams shattered. I joined this school and met this teacher, who motivated me in sports. Today, I am aspiring to make a career in sports.”School principal Himanshu Sompura said, “We are proud that our students have played at the national and international levels. There is support for students with disabilities to make careers in sports, and players are also offered govt jobs.”
