AHMEDABAD: Naresh Tumda was a member of India’s blind cricket team that beat Pakistan to win the World Cup in 2018, but these days his survival depends on his daily innings as a casual labourer.
Every day, Tumda leaves his house in Khatamba village in Vansda taluka of Navsari district early in the morning to take guard at the kadia naka, the gathering point to find casual labour. His struggles are being played out at a time when the nation is celebrating India’s sportspersons at the Tokyo Olympics.
Tumda had in August last year started selling vegetables in the Jamalpur area of Ahmedabad. But the curfews and the curbs imposed by the government to control Covid forced him to exit that business.
Tumda had no money to start another business, so lining up for daily wage was his only option. He is the sole earning member of his family. His father had to stop working after undergoing a cancer surgery.
“I was in the playing 11 of India’s cricket team that lifted the Blind World Cup on March 20, 2018, after chasing the challenging target of 308 set by Pakistan in Sharjah,” Tumda said. “Now, I have to lift bricks and sand to run my house.” He said that after India’s blind cricket team won the World Cup, several ministers and politicians from New Delhi and Gandhinagar had promised him a job. It appears that they have turned a blind eye to him.
“Earlier, my father used to work as a casual labourer so I did not have to think much about family income,” Tumda said. “But two years ago, he underwent a surgery for oral cancer. Skin from his hand was grafted on to his mouth. He was told not to do strenuous tasks.”
Tumda said he can no longer invest in perishable commodities such as vegetables. “But even as a casual labourer, I face uncertainty,” he said. “I wish government authorities consider my plight and give me a job or financial aid.”
