Wheelchair no hurdle to her basketball dreams

Inshah Bashir, a native of Budgam district, who represented India in the United States in 2019 and competed in the National Championship as the captain of the J&K Wheelchair Basketball Women's team in 2019, now has a clear agenda: "Besides playing and training my team, the major area of focus is to encourage differently-abled girls in sports, not just in Kashmir but across the country, and ensure that they have a voice."

Bashir, who has been in a wheelchair since she was 15 due to a spinal injury, emphasises that the game has given her something to look forward to every day. "I was depressed following my accident." I felt such a sense of purposelessness at the time. Basketball changed everything for me."

She saw J&K wheelchair players (Men) playing basketball once during her physiotherapy at Shafkat Rehabilitation Center (Bemina). That was the beginning of the end for her. Strenuous training and a determination to succeed followed. "From someone plagued with negativity when she met with the accident to now —- Basketball has not only made me into a new person but ensures that I look forward to the next day each evening," says this twenty-seven-year-old, who was invited by the US consulate to be a part of the prestigious Sports Visitor Program in 2019. I've represented my country and now have my own team. Many differently-abled people who strive to achieve lofty goals despite life's setbacks keep in touch with me."

However, it has not been an easy road for this Ted X speaker, who began playing the game in 2017. Despite her parents' encouragement, there was no woman's team for differently-abled people in Kashmir at the time. In addition, many of the people she met were sceptical of her abilities. "I went to Delhi and became a member of their state team."

We went on to compete in the Nationals. People around me assumed I would be rejected because I wore a hijab and was a Kashmiri woman. On the contrary, I was always greeted warmly wherever I went in the country. Everyone on the team, from officials to teammates, was helpful. And, yes, I did play with the hijab; no one objected."

Despite being approached by teams from other states to join them, Bashir, who is currently pursuing a Master's in Social Work at Delhi University, decided to return to Kashmir in 2019 and join the J&K Wheelchair Basketball Women's team. "Some boys from the National team assisted me in connecting with girls." There were about 12 girls when they first started, and now there are only six. I am grateful to the Wheelchair Basketball Federation of India for supporting me and hosting a camp here in 2019."

Bashir says she spends a lot of her time counselling parents of differently-abled girls, not just from Kashmir, but from all over the country who contact her through social media. "Leave aside sports, many parents pull their daughters out of school. It's as if these girls have lost the right to dream," she says.

Bashir, who is looking forward to representing India in the Paralympics, laments the fact that most public places are inaccessible to the differently-abled. "This was never an issue when I was abroad. Even the courts and stadiums they construct are easily accessible to the general public. Unfortunately, most of the shops here do not have a ramp."