"Dream, Dream, Dream! Conduct these dreams into thoughts, and then transform them into action."
- Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam
"Dream, Dream, Dream! Conduct these dreams into thoughts, and then transform them into action."
- Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam
2 Sep 2019
The Indian Army, Jammu and Kashmir police and retired military officers helped a Kashmiri wheelchair basketball player in reaching a selection camp in Chennai amid the ongoing restrictions in Kashmir.
Ishrat Akhter was paralyzed from the waist below after a fall in 2016. 20-year-old Ishrat Akhter is a wheelchair basketball player from Baramulla in Kashmir who has been selected to represent India for the pre-Olympic qualifying tournament in Thailand in October. She had no words to describe her joy when she realized that she would be able to finally travel to Chennai for a selection camp. Due to the restrictions imposed in Kashmir valley, Akhter had lost all hopes of travelling from her remote village to Chennai.
Akhter’s trip was made possible by retired naval captain Louis George, who is the head coach of the Indian Women Wheelchair Basketball. He informed Colonel Isenhower that one woman player, Ishrat Akhter has not reported for camp in Chennai owing to the restrictions in Kashmir. Mobile communications were disrupted and she needed to be located and sent to Chennai by flight.
Colonel Isenhower, who had served in Kashmir for a long time promptly initiated efforts to locate her. He sent out WhatsApp messages with available information about Akhter to all his contacts. The matter was taken up earnestly by Brigadier Nietzche Balan (retired) who along with Poonacha, a former colleague in Kashmir, met Senior Superintendent of Police Aijaz Bhatt who in turn swung the J&K Police in action. Soon, just hours after the message was posted, Akhter was contacted and given permission to travel. With the help of the police, she reached Srinagar from where she took a flight to Delhi and another from Delhi to Chennai where she was received by coach George and other team members.
It is really commendable that the defence and police officials went out of their way to help a sportsperson to reach her destination in spite of the stringent restrictions imposed in the area.
Image Source: Times Square Chronicles
