Mumbai: Wheelchair cricket team bats for Patwardhan Park

This time around the save Patwardhan Park knights in shining armour arenrsquot coming in on steeds but are rolling in on wheelchairs instead The Mumbai wheelchair cricket team is batting to save the Bandra West garden and is all set to play a match there to bring greater visibility and a louder voice to the save the park causeLocals and activists have been opposing the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation BMC proposal to construct an underground parking facility below the space which is opposite National College For over a month now there have been meetings between civic representatives and a few locals on the issue and objections Simultaneously a robust save the park campaign is underway with a specific WhatsApp group made for the purpose gaining allies spreading awareness and information about the cause and BMC plansThe alliesRahul Ramugade captain of the Mumbai wheelchair cricket team said ldquoIn a city where open spaces are scarce problems are compounded for those on wheelchairs like me Even the few open spaces are often inaccessible to us because there are steps or an incline to access the space So I am for keeping as much open space as possiblerdquoAlso Read Patwardhan Park issue Tender submission deadline extended againGround realityAccording to Ramugade many are unaware but differentlyabled sports teams have challenges like ldquoreaching the training ground itself and then accessing itrdquo ldquoWe practise every weekend as a team Our maidan playground near Milan Subwaymdashwhere we used to train on Saturdaysmdashhas been closed off for some work so we practise in the nets Then on Sunday we get in a good game of cricket on the Mumbai Universityrsquos Kalina campus groundrdquo the Bhandup resident said adding that he knows what it feels like to have a ground in the neighbourhood slip awayGen nextRamugade who is a righthand middleorder batsman explained that even in a wheelchair they experience freedom and closeness to nature in a park ldquoOrdinary persons meet the differentlyabled see our spirit and determination and hopefully they are inspired Parks must take precedence over parking even though some of us struggle with car parking ourselvesrdquo he saidRamugade drives a special car and at times cannot find parking For practical purposes he says he must park very close to a venue so he can take out his wheelchair from the car and complete the last leg to his destination ldquoSometimes parking reserved for the differentlyabled is full shamefully taken over by ablebodied persons in their cars while at other times we are simply driving around looking for a spot However despite these problems I still say open spaces should be kept as they arehellip they have a direct corelation to a cityrsquos livability and happiness indexrdquoAwareness quotientVinod Gavande a professional singer who uses a wheelchair to get around is the secretary of the Wheelchair Sports Association Mumbai Gavande said at the outset ldquoA ground or garden by definition means accessible or inclusive so it should be kept that way for the public A game at the park by the differentlyabled certainly lends visibility to bothmdashthe cause of saving the park and a deeper understanding of the challenges the physically challenged face Interactions in an informal feelgood setting like a park will certainly up the awareness quotientrdquo said GavandePitches hitchesLike Ramugade Gavande too pointed out that for the physically challenged there are hurdles even within open spaces He explained that only a few cricket grounds allow wheelchair cricket as it is believed that the wheelchairs damage the cricket pitch But there are exceptions Recently they played a triseries at the MIG Cricket Club ground in Bandra East ldquoThe curator told us to go ahead and play on the ground as there is no problem on these pitches I salute the manrdquo said Gavande who is a Vakola Santacruz residentGavande asserted that while there is political pressure at times and these spaces are taken away it is important for the community to unite ldquoBut more importantly local leaders have to realise the intangible but huge value these gardens have As a demographic that directly faces shrinking space every single day we will be fortunate to play a part in preserving this precious Bandra lungrdquo