KOCHI: Manoj was 12 when he first bowled in a school match held at his home town Thiruvananthapuram. He was young, energetic and visually-challenged. And by 17, he had made his first pitch at the World Cup Cricket for the Blind in 2002. His potential also led him to the next World Cup in Pakistan in 2006. Applauded by one and all for the superb show he and his team mates put up in Pakistan, Manoj returned with high spirits to Kerala. But, the happiness was short-lived, as the Kerala government refused to provide him any assistance. The government stance, he says, was ‘Sorry, we have no funds for you or the game,’. Equally worse is the situation of Maneesh, another player from Varkala who was selected for the World Cup in 2006. At the National-level, this 24-year-old is acknowledged as an all-rounder but in Kerala, he is just another burden for the government. “I had submitted an application to the government for a job two years ago. Though they keep on telling me that they will give me a job, I somehow feel it is just an excuse,” said Maneesh.Maneesh lost his eye sight when he was three after a fire broke out on his house.According to Kerala Federation of the Blind (KFB) vice-president K J Varghese, this is the condition of most visually-challenged students who opt to excel in the sport.“International cricket players are being ignored in the state, whereas the rest of the country are encouraging them. Even 15 years after the emergence of the game in the country and the contribution of visually-challenged people towards the sport, the state government has not acknowledged the game even once. It is their lackadaisical attitude that is killing the game in Kerala,” he said. According to him, there are many visually-challenged people in the state who have an interest towards cricket. But sadly, the government’s obstinacy in providing funds is pulling many players out. “Some of them had backed out after they realised that there is no future spending so much time on the game. They are already struggling. They don’t want to struggle with more rejection and challenge,” Farooq College Coach Habeeb said.
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