Mumbai: Shivaji Park to Paris, up a pole

In October 2023 International Olympic Committee IOC President Thomas Bach visited India where the IOC in collaboration with the Olympic Museum and Reliance Foundation signed a new agreement to expand the Olympic Values Education Programme During Bachrsquos visit a bunch of sports groups from Mumbairsquos schools gathered at Reliance Corporate Park in Ghansoli to demonstrate their skills in both modern and traditional Indian sports such as khokho and gully cricketOne group stood out Padma Shri Dr Uday Deshpandersquos mallakhamb group of six that included four visually challenged performers The group trains at the Shree Samarth Vyayam Mandir at Shivaji Park and their exceptional performance is now a highlight of the Paris Olympicsrsquo India House It includes students aged 12 to 27 and assistant coach Dr Neeta Tatke Among the performers Komal Patil and Venkatesh Mandadi are 75 per cent visually impaired while Anjali Tapal and Ajay Lalwani are 100 per cent visually impairedIt will be the first trip abroad for every member of the squad and emotions are running high As the team prepares to leave for Paris on July 22 the youngest member of the squad 12yearold Samath Patil expresses its excitement ldquoWe are thrilled We will showcase our best and spread the word about Indiarsquos sporting heritagerdquo He has been pursuing the sport for three years the rest have been at it relentlessly for three to four hours every day for about a decade regardless of demos and performancesVenkatesh Mandadi performs Matsyasan on a pole mallakhambPure courage and ability recommended the athletes to the task and not special allowances The candidates were chosen for the demo based on merit and history of outstation representation ldquoThere was no criteria for choosing visually impaired studentsrdquo assistant coach Dr Neeta Tatke ldquoEveryone is welcome to learn mallakhamb regardless of their participation in sports in general Whoever shows interest and eventually picks up is given a chance to perform A lot also depends on their daredevilry They have to perform the moves at a height say a split 85 feet off the groundrdquoAnd it takes extra dedication to even get to class ldquoI leave Boisar at 5 amrdquo says Komal Patil who can barely see the outline of figures ldquoand reach Shivaji Park by 7 am and practise for at least three to four hoursrdquo Ajay Lalwani the oldest in the group started learning mallakhamb at 18 years of age The 27yearold also cycled 7500 km across the country in 45 days in 2021 with just verbal instructions from a guide ldquoI chose mallakhamb because it builds core strengthrdquo says Lalwani who works with the BMCrsquos Water Distribution department ldquoI didnrsquot want visual impairment to hold me back I want to achieve everything a sighted person canrdquo His calm and confident demeanour convinces us he willDeshpande the first Arjuna Awardee in mallakhamb has been associated with the 73yearold institution for over 68 years ldquoI joined when I was 25 years old today I am 71rdquo says Deshpande Tatke is from the first batch of students that Deshpande trained in 1975 She has assisted him for decades ldquoMallakhamb builds strong willpower and composes the mind It is a competitive sport a performing art a martial art and a fitness activityrdquo Deshpande says ldquoI visit all three blind schools in Mumbai and observe how the sport changes their overall confidence Mallakhamb has improved their academic performance toomdashfrom scoring 35 to 40 per cent in exams to 80 to 90 per cent after they started performingrdquoThis is Indiarsquos debut at the Olympics with a dedicated Country Housemdashthe India Housemdashconceptualised by Reliance Foundation and the Indian Olympic Association The House will commemorate 100 years since India first participated in the Olympics It will be a ldquohome away from homerdquo for the athletes where they can interact with fans apart from celebrating medal wins The House will also showcase the nationrsquos sports music culinary specialities and experiences such as yoga music and dance formsComing back to the sport he has dedicated his life to coach Deshpande explains ldquoMallakhamb has made significant strides in Indiarsquos sporting scene gaining recognition and participation worldwide Countries such as Germany South Korea and China have integrated mallakhamb into their school curriculum and even participate in international tournaments Some of the international players are even better than our playersrdquoDoes instruction have to take another form for the students Tatke answers ldquoOver decades of training visually impaired children wersquove found the most effective method to be concise clear verbal instructions as such students can understand things by hearing much betterrdquo And it works ldquoI canrsquot see anything but I can work with instructionsrdquo says Anjali Tapal who is 100 per cent visually impaired ldquoWith this opportunity to visit Paris I made the right choice My hard work is paying offrdquo