Sachin comes to the aid of para-athlete Sakina

Sabi Hussain

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 14

Batting legend Sachin Tendulkar has come to the aid of para-athlete Sakina Khatun by providing her a job and a sponsor.

Sakina had polio when she was one-and-a-half years old. But she fought all odds to win the bronze medal in power-lifting at the Commonwealth Games for para-athletes in Glasgow.

The 25-year-old from Kolkata, who has won medals for India in several other competitions, had met Tendulkar during the CWG felicitation ceremony. Sakina received the award from Tendulkar and discussed about her hardships.

Tendulkar promised to help her then. And the help arrived at Sakina’s doorstep recently when her coach, powerlifter Farman Basha, received a mail from Tendulkar’s office in Mumbai, asking him to send over her resume and award certificates.

“Tendulkar is known to be a man of his word and, it seems, he has kept his promise. I have got a mail from his manager in which he has mentioned about Tendulkar taking personal interest in Sakina’s case. He has asked for her resume for a job opening in Bangalore,” Basha told The Tribune. “Since Sakina trains under me in Bangalore, she was looking for a job here. During one of our earlier interactions with his manager, Sakina had told about her preferred job location. We are thankful to Tendulkar that he has found a job for her in Bangalore,” Basha added.

Sakina’s father has spondylitis and her mother — the sole bread earner —works in a farm in Kolkata. She earns a daily wage of Rs 200.

Ajay Maken, as the Sports Minister, had announced jobs for para-athletes in the Sports Authority of India (SAI), but it remained as announcement only.