Old is not gold anymore. Once you have lost the charm, you will not be remembered or even looked after, no matter if you were a person to bring pride and respect to the country. The same condition has occurred in the life of a legendary cricketers who brought so much fame to the country. We are talking about Bhalaji Damor, the blind cricketer. Mr. Damor who led Indian Team to the Semi-final of the World Cup for the Blind, and went on to become the Man of the Series is now farming cows and cattle to earn a livelihood.
The blind legendary cricketer, has a stunning record to his credit with 125 matches, 3,125 runs and 150 wickets. Also, he was felicitated by the then President K R Narayanan after India lost in the semis to South Africa. “After the world cup, I had hoped to get a job. But I couldn’t get in anywhere even through the quotas for sports or the handicapped,” said the blind cricketer who is now a farmer.
Even worse is the fact that he shares the land with his brother to farm, which is not enough to meet the needs of the family and the government seems to be unaware of his pathos. Even after bringing so much glory to India, all he has now is a ram-shackled hut with lots of medals in the name of investment and achievement.
“It is a sad truth that sportsmen in the special category are not recognized or rewarded at all,” says Bhushan Punani, president of Blind People’s Association of India. Bhalaji Damor who once got Rs.5000 remuneration as a prize 17 years back, now earns a meager Rs.3000 a month, altogether from his farming activities and teaching in a blind school.
Such incidents simply prove that India is not a good place for Sportsmen, and they can never be credited for bringing such glory to India. It is a shame that only Star Cricket has occupied the Indian media and they are the one binging on the fame that others deserves as well.