If only funds matched his medal tally

LOSING BOTH legs at the age of three did not rob Rajbali of confidence. The man who swam his way to glory at the Special Olympics and then bagged gold by throwing the spear and the iron ball to a remarkable distance, finds himself at the crossroads today. He has lots of gold, silver and bronze on him, but hardly enough cash.

LOSING BOTH legs at the age of three did not rob Rajbali of confidence. The man who swam his way to glory at the Special Olympics and then bagged gold by throwing the spear and the iron ball to a remarkable distance, finds himself at the crossroads today. He has lots of gold, silver and bronze on him, but hardly enough cash.

HT Image

“I have a daughter of marriageable age. My wife Balwanti does odd jobs to make two ends meet. My pension amount of Rs 605 per month is hardly enough. And I thought, having earned gold for my country I deserved better treatment,” said the man who is in the State capital these days to plead with the powers that be to pay attention to his family’s plight.

At 50, Rajbali who hails from Deoria, feels his confidence, which fetched him global recognition and had former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi honoring him personally, is deserting him gradually.

“I won medals for my country in the Special Olympics for the handicapped
in swimming, discus throw, spear throw, etc at Tokyo in 1981. In Hong Kong, a year later, I won gold in the backstroke swimming competition. I won a silver here again in discus throw. In the wheel chair race, I bagged bronze,” Rajbali recalled talking to HT Lucknow Live on Monday.

He added, “In 1987, I won gold in the cricket ball throwing competition held in Lucknow. I followed this up by bagging silver in discus and spear throwing competitions. In 1989, I won tri cycle race competition in Kanpur.”

Rajbali said he had more than 10 gold, six silver and bronze medals to show for his special effort. “I require special attention from the government without which I would be unable to pull myself through. Former Prime Minister VP Singh did make an effort once by getting me posted in a mill but after its closure my woes resurfaced,” he said.

Rajbali who has come to Lucknow along with Samajwadi Party’s (SP) legislator Anugrah Narayan Singh said, “I appeal to both the State and the Central governments to spare a thought for me. Shakir Ali, a minister in the State Government has promised some help.”

But promises alone would not help the man with the golden arm. Pecuniary help, would.