There is always a steady stream of visitors at the Spastics Society of Karnataka. On Friday, a privileged bunch dropped in, bringing joy to the special children at the Society.
Nine members of the Indian national hockey team, accompanied by coach Michael Nobbs, medical doctor Lt Col BK Nayak and selector AB Subbaiah, delighted the excited kids, who jumped up in happiness.
“It’s brilliant if you can put a smile on the faces of these kids,” said an emotion-choked Nobbs, who initiated the visit arranged by Hemophilia Federation (India) vice-president Vikash Goyal. “Every moment of their life is a such a huge struggle. Most of these kids haven’t done anything wrong in their life, yet they have to undergo such a painful ordeal. We just spent 10 minutes in every classroom, probably less than a minute with every kid, but their joy was incomparable.
“Some of them watch TV, and could thus identify a couple of the Indian players. The next time they see us play on TV, they will be saying ‘These people came and visited us.’ Most of us are so privileged and yet we keep complaining about the smallest of worries. The players too sometimes feel they haven’t got their due. This visit will make a world of difference to their thinking.”
The group spent two hours touring the facility, interacting with several kids. It was obvious that most of the players were deeply moved by the plight of these children for whom life has been a struggle since birth.
“I am just lost for words,” said a teary-eyed Indian captain Bharat Chetri. “You really feel for the kids and for their parents. Apart from the continuous pain of watching their kid suffer, their parents also have to work doubly hard to raise them. Hats off to them,” added Chetri, easily the most popular man with the kids alongside local player VR Raghunath.
Such visits are being planned by Nobbs on a regular basis. A few days before the Champions Challenge last month, the entire team had met patients at Pune’s Paraplegic Rehabilitation Centre, which houses several war veterans.
“We will be doing this regularly,” observed a humbled Nobbs. “As humans, we need to give back to the society in whatever way possible. I heard about how Vikash Goyal lost his 12-year-old son a couple of years ago to haemophilia. It is really heart-breaking. We just did our bit in the smallest manner possible.”
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Home> Sports / DHNS / Bangalore, December 16th, 2011
