What motivated you to establish the CAB Nepal?
It happened all of a sudden. Six years ago, we learnt that Pakistanis were coming here to teach cricket to the blind people. At that time all of the Nepali participants were totally ignorant about the game. So I decided to join the training just for their encouragement. Then after, I took the responsibility of establishing CAB Nepal.
Did you ever play cricket before?
I had never played cricket before but I used to watch it. So I was well aware about the rules of the game. I was a fan of the Indian cricket team. I was theoretically sound, all I lacked was practice.
Who invited the Pakistanis to train the blind people here?
They came to know about us when President of the Nepal Association of the Blind Nar Bahadur Limbu met Pakistan Blind Cricket Association founder Agha Shaukat Ali in a transit during an international trip. Actually, they came looking for us after realizing that there was a good potential for blind cricket in Nepal.
How difficult was it to handle the association in the initial stage?
It was a great challenge then and it still is a challenge for us because we are not getting enough support from the concerned authorities. But we haven’t given up hope. What we started from scrap has spread into 13 districts. We first opened clubs in three districts – Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Kirtipur, but were struggling a lot. All that changed after organizing the first ever cricket tournament for the blind in Nepal on March 2007, after which blind people from outside the valley started showing their interest to join hands with us. Our main obstacle was to convince the over-cautious family members to let their children play cricket because they were concerned about the safety of their dear ones or were simply worried how they would be able to play because of their disability. But we have proved them that we can compete like any other sportspersons.
What support are you getting from the National Sports Council?
We are getting no support from the National Sports Council. The sports governing body of Nepal provided us a paltry amount of Rs 31,000 when we were about to compete in the World Cup. It was a mockery. What can you do with that amount? It is not even enough to buy track suits for the team members. We took a flight to Bangalore for the World Cup but had to return by train because of financial crisis.
The NSC didn’t understand that we were playing for the nation. Rather, it was turning a blind eye to our problems. It is better to be blind instead of pretending to be one.
A medal is a medal whether it is won by athletes or by para-athletes. Isn’t it the responsibility of the state to fund the team when it is playing for the prestige of the nation during the World Cup?
The sports ministry, on the other hand, is providing some support. It used to provide us token amount but has increased it to Rs 500,000 per annum since last year.
Is that amount enough?
We have to be thankful to the ministry for whatever it has been providing. But that is not enough even to organize a single tournament. That’s because we need five or six volunteers for every 14 players. That is an extra burden for us when it comes to the expenditure needed to organize tournaments. So we have to compromise on many things. And when we don’t give proper incentives, both the players and volunteers get dissuaded. Despite all of these problems, we have been able to organize four national and five regional tournaments, and have participated in three international tournaments, including one World Cup. For that, we have had to depend on INGOs and some Good Samaritans.
Despite all odds, we have also organized six national tournaments for blind women.
What else have you done so far?
Our organization is the first in the world to initiate cricket for blind women. There are 120 female blind cricketers in Nepal. We were also the first to ratify the Brighton declaration on women and sport, which aims at promoting sports for women.
We also address gender issue and sexual violence by training the blind women to defend themselves. We have provided employment and scholarships to both male and female players.
We are trying to bring change in the lives of the disadvantaged group through the medium of sports.
What are the challenges that your organization faces?
Our main challenge is financial problem as we are struggling to make the ends meet. Our family is growing but there is no regular support. So it is not possible to provide capacity development training to the members. We also provide average food during tournaments. Because of these hindrances, we are not certain how long will the players stick to the game.
It is very difficult to convince our society and, in particular, the family of the blind people to allow them to play cricket. We tell them that everybody has the right to play. But if we cannot give them a secure future, they might lose interest in the sport.
What do you have to say about winning the Special Award during the Pulsar Sports Award?
Happiness gets multiplied if you share it. But I am utterly disappointed that I couldn’t share my happiness with my mother, who died five years after I lost my eyesight.
What has cricket given you?
It has given me a reason to live, not just for myself but also for others. My family is happy that I have finally found something to get involved in after losing my eyesight. I’ve learnt a lesson that life depends on our perception. We have to make the best use of what we have, rather than to repent on what we don’t.
(Neeraj Chandra Roy)
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