With cricket stadia in India being largely inaccessible to wheelchair-bound individuals, 27-year-old Maithili Gaikwad knew that the one time she might fulfill her dream of seeing Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and the opposite Indian cricket stars up shut can be throughout the T20 World Cup bus parade at Marine Drive on Thursday.
Maithili suffers from Spina Bifida, a situation the place the spinal wire doesn’t develop correctly within the womb. She doesn’t have any sensation from waist down and needed to rely upon her colleagues — she’s an HR at Tata Energy — to deliver her to the Marine Drive promenade.
With the roads being cordoned off due to the parade, Maithili and her colleagues simply couldn’t organize transport to get to Marine Drive. She remained undeterred although. Having confronted numerous obstacles all by her life, her colleagues weren’t going to let transport be the deterrent. They pushed her wheelchair by the 3km odd journey and although it took a great 40 minutes, they made it and located a great spot simply reverse Trident Resort.
AN UNFORGETTABLE DAY 💙
🏆#TeamIndia | #T20WorldCup | #Champions pic.twitter.com/FeT7VNV5lB
— BCCI (@BCCI) July 4, 2024
Having reached the spot at 3.45 pm, she waited anxiously, her colleagues alongside her, for 4 hours simply to catch a glimpse of the Males in Blue.
“It was definitely worth the wait. To see Rohit, Virat, and Jasprit Bumrah with that trophy was surreal. I assumed that the gang would block my view, however no one pushed me and I might fulfill my dream,” Maithili instructed The Indian Specific.
Regardless of being born with the situation, Maithili has all the time been inclined in direction of sports activities. She has tried to look at the Indian staff play at a stadium however says it’s nearly unimaginable for wheelchair-bound individuals.
“There aren’t any stadia which are wheelchair accessible. As soon as they did invite me for a ladies’s sport however I couldn’t see something due to the barricades,” she stated.
Her dream of seeing the Indian stars could have been fulfilled, however Maithili says she received’t relaxation until she sees her final dream of seeing the nation develop into extra wheelchair pleasant.
With the roads being cordoned off due to the parade, Maithili and her colleagues simply couldn’t organize transport to get to Marine Drive. (Specific photograph by Anil Dias)
“Even for this bus parade, there have been no preparations for wheelchair-bound individuals and actually, we’ve stopped anticipating it. Nevertheless it shouldn’t be this manner,” she stated.
Maithili says that whereas she’s lucky to have household that’s extraordinarily supportive, it’s taken time to discover a clique of mates that she will depend on.
“From the time I used to be younger, it was tough to keep up friendships as a result of I can’t actually exit with individuals. In that manner, I get left behind. However now I’m a part of a bunch of individuals with related disabilities so we perceive one another’s issues effectively,” says Maithili, who additionally reveals she needed to journey for 7km in an electrical wheelchair to go to school on daily basis “come rain come sunshine”.
“I needed to review and wasn’t going to let something cease me. College was essentially the most tough as individuals couldn’t settle for me in a traditional faculty. They stated I belonged in a Particular College. Fortunately I didn’t pay heed to them and now I’ve even accomplished my MBA in HR,” she says with a smile. By way of all her difficulties, it’s sports activities that has saved her spirit up.
“I stay in a beautiful colony in Chembur the place we’ve entry to completely different sorts of sports activities. I am going swimming on daily basis because it’s additionally therapeutic for me. I play badminton each different day. In reality, I’ve performed para-badminton on the state degree too. The dream is Paralympics and whereas I’m doing my greatest, I don’t suppose I’m at that degree but,” she says.
She’s tried her hand at cricket too, although she says it’s tough for her to pursue it professionally.
Her one dream of seeing the cricketing superstars in individual could have been fulfilled on a wet Thursday night at Marine Drive, however Maithili says she has loads of unfulfilled goals.
“My final objective is to show in rural areas of India. There’s this Educate for India program that I need to be part of. Although I’m in a wheelchair, I really feel I’ve a lot to offer.”