"Cricket is our religion and Sachin is my God"
This was said by an anonymous genius about the Cricket crazy Indians and their national hero Sachin Tendulkar.
Cricket is the binding force that keeps Indians together in an otherwise diverse country.
I was a born as a person with Cerebral Palsy, which confined my movements. I used to walk in an awkward manner, that too with an someone else’s assistance. Enough with the buildup. Now let’s get into the story.
When we were in our Eighth Grade, time was not a luxury. We guys were left with ample time after our routine classes. We were in search of things to do after our classes. And one guy has discovered something. An odd 4-cents of land with some half a dozen coconut trees, some banana trees and rich greenery. We, Indians are known for converting anywhere from a car porch to a class room to a cricket pitch. We haven’t spared here too. The guys worked really hard and thus it was transformed into a beautiful (we believe so!) cricket pitch, amid the presence of numerous coconut trees. And started playing cricket during the weekends and vacations.
Thus Deepakc’s Cricket Club of India (DCCI) was born. For those who are curious about the name, its a comical imitation of Board of Cricket Control on India (BCCI), the governing body for Cricket in the country. And we honored Mr. Deepakc, the good samaritan and land owner who was kind enough to permit us to play in his land by naming the ground after him.
Initially I was clueless on what a disabled person can do there. My friends were keener than me to make myself involved in the activities. They came and picked me from my home whenever they play cricket there. They all want me to play cricket inspite of my body difficulties.
Years passed. Our student tags were replaced with employee tags. We still keep on playing there though the frequency was lessened to once a week. The Sunday literally became a 'holy’day for us. We considers this spot as a shrine and each journey to there as a pilgrimage.
And you want to know how it changed me?
I have transformed from a person who even struggles balancing my legs to a person who plays the tricky scoop shot in Cricket. Over these thirteen years, my body showed considerable improvement in balancing. My limbs got better. The fighter in me has got an edge over my enemy called Cerebral Palsy.
All because of this sunday cricket and “Cricket Therapy”