A vision to achieve, says Ankur Dhama

Times have changed. Disabilities can’t keep one from leading one’s country to glory anymore. Indian paralympian Ankur Dhama is proof enough of the same as he will participate in the Eye Run, organised by Sheth Group, on Independence Day with other visually impaired athletes like himself. The run, which has been organised with an aim to create mass awareness on the severe shortage of eye donors, will commence from Thane with 5 km, 10 km and 1 mile categories.

Ankur Dhama, who lost his vision at the age of five, is the face of the event and is excited to support the initiative, which is otherwise not regarded as significant in metro cities. The 22-year-old hails from a small district named Bhaghpat in western Uttar Pradesh. While discussing his struggle, he says, “It started as a hobby. I lost my vision within a span of a week and my family didn’t have enough resources for my treatment. I observed my seniors running in school and they advised me to take up athletics. It empowers me and makes me hopeful.” “While urban cities are unaware of this concept, Mumbai has done well in terms of giving opportunities to visually-impaired people. Since Eye Run is happening on August 15, I hope many runners participate,” he adds.

Ankur expresses that he was skating on thin ice coming into this profession. “It was difficult to begin with as we had financial restrictions. My father and mother were always supportive and now that the sport is allowing me to make money, they are proud.” Apart from running, Ankur, surprisingly, is the first Indian to score in blind football. An alumnus of St. Stephen’s College, he represented India at the paralympics, becoming the first blind athlete to represent India in the renowned sporting event. He left no stone unturned and trained for 7 hours everyday, however, the odds were not in his favour.

Ankur recalls the accident from Paralympics 2016 qualifying round, which forced him to pull out of the race. “I was leading the qualifying race. But the runner behind me dashed into my guide runner who is as important as a runner in our races. My guide was injured in the heat but did not stop until reaching the finish line. I think I could have been in the finals. I will, nonetheless, keep looking for opportunities.” In 2008, Ankur broke the record in the national juniors category for being the fastest runner. Earning more accolades, he bagged two bronze and silvers at the Asian Paragames in 2014 and qualified for the Paralympics at the Asia-Oceania Championships in Dubai in 2016. “I will be eyeing a gold in the next Asian Paragames,” says the St Stephens College graduate.

Part of the proceeds, earned through the initiative, will be donated for eye operations of the visually impaired. Participants can pledge to donate their eyes.