Musings

The Impossible? Is there such a thing?

by Padma Edirisinghe

Ibrahim Hamato was a 10 year old boy when he lost both his arms in a train accident. Hailing from Egypt, a miracle happened to him years later when he became a star performer at the Rio Olympics 2016 , according to an international sports correspondent.

What happened in the trail in between? After the catastrophe the biggest misery he underwent was when he realized he could no longer play his favourite game, Table Tennis. He tried varied methods of substitution, and ended up by throwing up his ball with his toes and holding the paddle with his mouth .

Stupendous bravery

Years later, his achievements garnered him an interview with the International Federation of Table Tennis.He had famously told this body, in the aftermath of representing his country at the Paralympics held in Brazil:

"People should work hard for what they love and for what they think is good for them.".

He , now aged 41, has further philosophized,

"The disability is not in the arms or the legs, the disability is, in not persevering what you would like to do"

Was Hamato the only one to turn into an iconic image? No.Almost every star in the Paralympics , male or female has a story of stupendous bravery, and it goes without reiteration that Hamato's theory need not be confined to the world of sports, though we will confine ourselves to a few characters in this field.

Do you like to grow tall, to 8 feet plus? No.It creates awkward situations.

But, Morteza of Iran did, whether he liked it or not..He was suffering from a rare condition called Acromelegaly. Naturally, standing aloof from the rest he became lonely and depressed. However, sports came to his aid and here is Haidi his coach,

"We are going step by step, but we are training him to be the best in the world". In which sphere Morteza is going to reach this superlative is not clear, but the helper and the recipient, both, have to be admired. Incidentally, Haidi had spoken to the Rio 2016 website.

There is no indication that either of them have broken records, but either the mention has been omitted or the idea had prevailed that simply reaching participation level was enough for celebrity purposes.

Most ghoulish things

And here is one from Kansas city. Matt, he was named and food on his table was scarce. Matt turned to archery for a device to still the grumble of worms in his tummy. Not only that of his own but those of his kids. Then he turned to archery.

Waxes the CNN report, "the distinctive technique he initially mastered to hunt has catapulted him to worldwide fame".

And the most ghoulish things happen to people. This is what happened to driver Zanardi .

According to the report, both, his car and body were severed in two at Germany's Euro speedway. "His heart stopped seven times and the Italian was read the last rites with less than a litre of blood in his body". What more signals to end of life! But, the accident seems to have proved a great opportunity.

"Zanardi went on to win silver in the H5 men's race a day later, before adding a second gold in the H2 5 mixed team relay".

Don't ask me what happened in the intermediate stage, for it is not explained in full but you can depend on the fact that CNN does not stoop to tell lies.

And here is the story of Bayley of Great Britain. He suffered from cancer and arthrogypsosis as a young boy, but was determined to make his mark in some public feat. A paralympic table tennis tournament was his choice but his defeat in it yet did not dampen his desire for a sports victory.

And who else but grandma, came to his aid by gifting a table tennis table. It turned out to be a lifelong passion and scored over the very top who had made names in the domain.

But, he could be very sentimental too, as when he told his broadcaster tearfully, that the sobs are for his dead grandma. "I hope she is watching me" he had reminisced.

Sure from heaven.

Almost similar are the stories of the paralympics , Sarah Storey, Daniel dias ,Omara Durand, Jason Smyth , Ridzwan, Malik and Roland and Lucy. They hail from such diverse countries as Great Britain, Brazil,Malaysia, and India.

Anyway, lest the reader run away with the idea that Paralympics is the only field where a human can climb the post despite all odds, here is my own example and that from the field of writing.

Born to two Sinhala school teachers and closeted for the most part of the school career in local schools where education was transmitted in the indigenous language via the efforts of a Tamil acquaintance of my father, I entered a college where English was simply deified.

There I began to master the convent library (where earthly nuns were heavenly angels ) and most of these books I read, having been denied the luxury of private transport, languished in the homeward bound Negombo ---Katana ---Mirigama bus that started only at 3.30 pm.

after school closed at 2.00pm. You may be amazed, but the results were reaped almost 60 years later.

Year 2016 stands out as a memorable year in my life, mainly because I won a Journalistic Award for my column in the Sunday Observer.