JPM lead the way in competitive world of blind kabaddi

Vinayak Padmadeo

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, January 21

After a huddle in the middle and chants of ‘JPM, JPM’, the team stuck together for few ‘selfies’ with the coaches and the support staff.

JPM, short for Jormal Periwal Memorial Senior Secondary School for the Blind, is one of the premier schools in the country for the blind that puts special emphasis on both sports and education. The emphasis showed in the way they outclassed their opposition in the final, beating Vocational Training Centre (VTC) 104-26 to win the Kabaddi Championships title. The kabaddi final was the last act of the six-day Usha Sports Championships for the Blind that saw 540 sportspersons competing in powerlifting, judo and kabaddi.

Both the finalist teams in the men’s kabaddi are housed in the Blind Relief Association campus but the difference was stark. 

JPM’s Sharan shared the secret. “We trained on the mat for the last five months and we were more comfortable,” he said.

The VTC men only trained for a week on the surface. “Some of us played on mud courts; this was the first time for us on mats. I think we did okay with this little or no practice,” said Mohammad Shahid, who is taking multi-skill training at the centre.

New surface

This was the first time that the event was being held on mats. Tram lines were made of taped rope so that the players could know the boundaries. This was also the first time that the teams were given shoes to play on mat. For some accustomed to playing in the mud, this was a little hard to adjust.

Players were classified according to their level of disability. B-1 classification is for players who have no light perception in either eye or those who have light perception but are unable to recognise the shape of the hand over a distance or in any direction. B-2 consists of players with partial vision. B-1 players with some light perception were put in blindfolds. The teams were made up of seven B-1 and five B-2 players. The playing seven had to include four B-1 and three B-2.

Too much firepower

The three B-2 players did the business for JPM. Aman, in particular, did the most damage in defence. But Ravinder Singh of VTC said the team was happy despite finishing second. “We had no coaches or trainers to support us. We were told about the rules and familiarised with the new surface only days before the tournament. So, to finish second is a big achievement for us,” Ravinder said.

Asian meet

The players were also hopeful for an Asian kabaddi tournament sometime in the near future. International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA) general secretary A David said that there were plans to hold an Asian event that may see participation from Pakistan, Sri Lanka and other Asian teams. “They also play kabaddi so we may do it. But I don’t know when this will happen,” he said.

JPM’s star raider Satyam Prakash will be one of the favourites to make the Indian team for the Asian meet.

Prakash, who hails from Patna, joined JPM in 2006 as a five-year-old. He is one of the up-and-coming stars from the school that has produced the likes of Ankur Dhama, who became the first blind Paralympian when he represented India at the Rio Games.

“I hope they finalise the event soon. I’ll do my best to get selected,” Prakash said.

Prakash, whose father runs a small grocery store in Patna, did not take the winter vacation this time as he chose to stay back to train for this championships. “We won because we have been playing together for some time now. The vocational team has to change every year as they have a one-year course. But we will celebrate with them too. We are from the same centre,” Prakash said.