In order to spread awareness about disability and to promote Divyang cricket in India, an Expedition Team of 6 Wheelchair Users/Divyangjan travelled 2,000 km in their hand-operated cars/adapted vehicles and reached Pangong Lake on the tenth day.
The team celebrated International Yoga Day by performing Yoga at a height of 14,300 feet at Pangong Tso. Yogacharya Prashant Shukla, founder of Prayag Arogyam Kendra, Babita Maurya and Archana Patel along with the team of Differently-Abled Cricket Officials and Wheelchair Cricket Players from across the country connected online to perform Yoga.
Ravikant Chauhan, Member of BCCI’s Differently-abled Cricket Committee joined from Delhi along with Joint Secretary and former Indian Air Force pilot, Sqn Ldr Abhai Pratap Singh (Retd.), Vijay Singh Bisht – former Indian wheelchair cricketer, Gopal Krishna Ojha – CEO of Wheelchair Cricket India Association, Vir Singh Sandhu – Captain of Punjab cricket team and Disability Activist Sunil Mangal joined from Pangong Lake.
Wheelchair Cricketers from all over the country also participated in the Yoga Day in which Indian Wheelchair Cricket Captain Somjit Singh joined from Lucknow, Mumbai Wheelchair Cricket Team Captain Rahul Ramugade, Gujarat Wheelchair Cricket Team Captain Bhima Kunti, Karnataka Wheelchair Cricket Team Captain Shiv Prasad joined from their respective states to support the Expedition Team in Ladakh in celebration of International Day of Yoga.
Sqn Ldr Abhai Pratap Singh (Retd) said ANI, “We Divyangjan are completing this arduous 4000-plus Kilometre 16-day Disability Awareness Expedition from Lucknow to Ladakh by driving our own cars. Today our team reached Pangong Lake and performed yoga at an altitude of 14,300 feet on the occasion of International Yoga Day. To motivate our Expedition Team, our wheelchair cricketers also joined us online from their respective states.”
The Expedition Team reached Kargil on 16 June and met Jamyang Tsering Namgyal, MP from Ladakh who appreciated the efforts of the campaign team for the awareness of disability in Ladakh region. The team of Divyangjan will return to Lucknow after completing their 4,000 km Disability Awareness Expedition on June 27. In India, it is a record in itself where Divyangjan drove 4,000 km in their adapted vehicles and performed Yoga at an altitude of 14300 feet.
A team of professional videographers is accompanying the team with the objective to shoot a documentary showcasing the grit of Divyangjans and the issues faced by them in their daily life.
This is the first of many expeditions planned by WCIA through the #DriveWithAbility Campaign and after the Ladakh expedition in 2022 the team will be undertaking a 6000-plus kilometre Golden-Quadrilateral Circuit in 2023, which is already in the planning stage.
Ravikant Chauhan said, “The issue of accessibility and disability awareness is not even noticed by the general public. Campaigns like these are very important so that society starts noticing the differently-abled community and knows what issues and challenges are faced by them, then only positive change in the society will follow.”
“This is the first time in the history of Cricket that BCCI took some concrete steps towards the development of differently-abled cricket in India. Historical decisions are being taken for the formalisation of Divyang Cricket in India and through this Ladakh expedition, our differently-abled Cricket community is also celebrating these decisions by BCCI,” he added.
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