But not part with pride
JAIPUR: A 40-year-old woman using a prosthetic leg and selling flowers in a neighbourhood of the state capital hardly betrays any hint that she is a national champion in shot put and javelin.
A peek at Deepali Singh’s small house in a shanty reveals the truth: more than 100 medals and trophies stacked inside a tin trunk. All were won for Rajasthan and for a reason — each trophy fetched a small sum to keep Singh and her tea-seller husband’s home fires burning.
“I don’t like begging … asking for favours from anyone is the most demeaning thing. That is the only reason why at this age, I still work out every morning in the hope that I will win another medal and a little prize money,” says the para-athlete who lost her left leg at 11 in an accident in West Bengal, her native place.
She was brought to Rajasthan for the Jaipur foot, a low-cost artificial limb. “Soon after, I was married off … my husband used to serve tea to patients at Sawai Man Singh Hospital,”shesaid.herintroduction tosportshappenedpurelybychance in 2003, when the couple worked outside the Sawai Man Singh Stadium. “A sports meet was organised for the disabled people and the coach asked me to give a shot. I won the shot put event that day and began my career,” she recalled.
She has won trophies in various sportsevents.thetournamentshelp the couple augment their income because cash awards to disabled athletes are lesser than what is paid to their able-bodied counterparts. “At the recent Bengaluru para-athletics, I won ₹5,000. Usually, the cash award ranges from ₹5,000-₹10,000. Other athletes get lakhs of money and are honoured at functions. Is our honour less important?” she asked.