Living & Believing

Army Paralympic Node is unique. It is the only centre that helps soldiers to rehabilitate themselves after disasters leave them shattered. Indraneel Das tries to find out how...

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A group of para-athletes were gathered in a circle close to the entry gate of the JN Stadium in Chennai. Paris Paralympic Games medallist Hokato Sema was one of them. There were about seven or eight of them chatting about life and sport while waiting for their turn to compete. ‘Services’ was written on their back. Not too long ago, there used to be just one or two in nationals.

Army Paralympic Node (APN) officer in charge Nitten Mehta was with the team. On the sidelines of the nationals, Mehta spoke about the journey of this unique place – the APN. He still remembers incidents that are enough to bring tears to the eyes. He animatedly narrates it with a lot of passion. Mehta lost three fingers and hurt his right hand from splinters in a blast.

One such story goes like this. One soldier had come to his centre some time ago. Nitten did not want to name any para-athlete because for him, all athletes are the same. He was a double amputee and was walking with two sticks. He looked crestfallen and shattered, as if the world came crashing down. Mehta saw the transformation in three months. “He walked without sticks,” he recollects. “Progress in sport is one thing. But being able to help somebody to do away with walking sticks and helping him be independent is also a big satisfaction.”