BLIND WOMEN’S T20 WORLD CUP WINNER’S VILLAGE LACKS BSIC AMENITIES

BLIND WOMEN’S T20 WORLD CUP WINNER’S VILLAGE LACKS BSIC AMENITIES

6-DEC-ENG 6

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

BUXAR---------------------------In the first Blind Women's T20 World Cup held at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, Sri Lanka on November 23, the Indian team not only became champions by defeating Nepal by seven wickets but also created history by remaining undefeated throughout the tournament. Anu Kumari, a key player and all-rounder from Mukundpur village in Simri block, Dumraon subdivision of Buxar district, bowled tightly in the final match, taking one wicket and preventing the Nepalese girls from scoring a big total. Going to another village for studies after primary school is a compulsion

However, it is also interesting that Anu, who made a significant contribution in making India the champion in the first-ever Blind Women's T20 cricket tournament, comes from a village that lacks basic facilities. Even the boys and girls of the village do not have a proper playground. Besides this, even after seven decades of independence, there are only unpaved roads leading from the main road, the Naya Bhojpur-Dumri road, to the village. Furthermore, there is only one primary school in the village.

Fortunately, Anu was born visually impaired, due to which her parents enrolled her in a special school for visually impaired children. Anu is currently studying at a school for the blind in Delhi, and it was from there that she was selected for the Indian Blind Women's Cricket Team. The villagers say that if Anu were not disabled and lived in the village, she wouldn't have been able to learn to even properly hold a bat or ball, let alone become a world champion in this shortest and most exciting format of cricket.

While the entire village is proud of Anu's achievement, the boys and girls of the village also feel a pang of regret that when there isn't even a playground in their village, how will other girls or boys like Anu hone their talent and bring recognition to their village at the international or national level through their sporting skills?

The road that runs alongside the historical fort of Raja Bhoj turns into footpaths further ahead. Mukundpur village is connected by these footpaths ( कच्चa roads). This village, with about five hundred houses, falls under Majhwari Panchayat of Simri block, and is inhabited by people from backward, extremely backward, and Dalit communities.

Parshuram Yadav, a retired DPO from the education department, and villagers Bittu Yadav, Harishankar Yadav, Ranju, Muskan, Khushi, Yamuna, etc., said that there are no facilities of any kind in the village. There is neither a playground nor any facility for education beyond primary school. The villagers say that if the government provides a school for higher education, a playground, and resources in their village, then many talents like Anu will be able to represent the state and the country. They just need resources and proper guidance.

It should be noted that along with Mukundpur, the villages of Englishpur, Parmanpur, and Rampur Mathia, which are included in Majhwari Panchayat, are suffering due to their geographical location. Because of this, even after seven decades of independence, these villages have not been able to achieve commensurate development. It should be noted that to go to the Majhwari Panchayat headquarters, the people of these villages have to go through Naya Bhojpur and Purana Bhojpur. The Bhojpur Tal and Koliya Tal lakes between the village and the panchayat headquarters have become the biggest obstacle to their development. Due to being far from the panchayat headquarters, the villagers are facing many problems.

Bittu Yadav says that three water towers were built in his village for a robust water supply, but two of them have been out of order for the past two months. A complaint has been filed, but the repairs have not yet been done. As a result, the villagers are facing difficulties even for drinking water these days.

It should be noted that a major incident occurred in Mukundpur village in 2009. At that time, there was a clash between the villagers and the police. After that, the people of this village also had to face a severe police reaction. To address this incident, CM Nitish Kumar himself came to Mukundpur in 2010. There, he announced from the stage that a paved road would be built and a tomato processing unit would be established to see the bumper production of tomatoes in the area, but even after a decade and a half, the CM's announcement has not been fulfilled.

However, a shortage of land is also hindering road construction, which has not yet been resolved at the administrative level.

Now it remains to be seen whether the government is paying attention to increasing basic facilities in this village, whose daughter has made the country a world champion through her tireless hard work and skill. However, after Anu's achievement and the congratulations she is receiving from all sides, the villagers feel that their village will now also be connected to the mainstream of development.