Every child including the ones with disabilities dreams of being counted and having her/his dreams fulfilled. They don’t allow physical limitation in the way of their dreams. On National Sports Day, OTV caught up with a boy who despite having problem in his left leg has created a niche for himself as a football player in his locality and proved that ‘disability’ is nothing but a state of mind.
Hailing from Parabeda area of Jeypore, Sanjib, a class 6 student, is good at strokes and defending ball.
Sources said, after his left leg got injured in an accident a few years back, life came to a standstill for Sanjib who nursed a passion for football right from childhood. However, the accident did not let him down and he decided to follow his passion again by playing football. Apart from playing with his age-group friends, he loves to play with seniors. He is currently learning how to make goals.
Sanjib comes to Bikram Dev Stadium every day for playing football no matter what the weather is. His fitness amazes other players. Also, his unwavering determination and never-give-up attitude is helping him scale greater heights.
Despite making a name as a football player, he has failed to find any support from either sports institutions or even the government. His peers are of the opinion that he will reach the zenith of success if he is provided training by the state government.
Santosh Kumar Bagh, a local resident, said, “He was born normal. But his left leg was severely injured in an accident. Though he was shown to many doctors, it went in vain. The accident became a boon for him. Like morning shows the day, he will shine in coming days.”
About his aim, Sanjib without hesitation says, “I will be a great football player one day.”