“The injuries were so severe and unbearable for eyes that, no one dared to take him to the hospital,” said one of the eye witnesses, “however we informed army instead and they took him.”
||AAKASH HASSAN
They say that destiny is printed on the palm of hands, what for Aamir hussain Loan who lost both at the age of seven? Captain of Jammu and Kashmir’s Para-Cricket team, Amir’s battle with destiny sends shivers to spine. On September 21, 1997, 2nd primary student, Amir, from Wagam Bejebihara, was send to drop lunch box for his brother, working at sawmill with another mechanic. Lone, a prompt kid started playing at the mill, while the duo started to lunch, while they left blades o n m ove. W hile p laying w ith a piece of wood, blades caught the kid and was rolled around, left him on one side and his both arms on other. “The injuries were so severe and unbearable for eyes that, no one dared to take him to the hospital,” said one of the eye witnesses, “however we informed army instead and they took him.” His initial dressing was done at the local army camp at take to Srinagar by them for further treatment. At the bone and joint hospital Srinagar doctors conducted multiple operations and had to cut his arms from shoulders.
“I remained in different hospitals of Srinagar for three years and in between this, everything was shattered for me” says Amir, “even when I was brought home people suggested to my parents that , they should find some way to eliminate me a s I w as now of no worth and already taken great toll of my parents.” However, parents of Amir didn’t leave him alone and made it sure that they will do everything they can for him. “I had to sell most part of my agriculture fields and sawmill to make sure that my son is treated well. I even took loan from bank, but how one could leave his son in anyway,” says Bashir Ahmad Lone, father of Amir Hussain.
After few months when Amir was well now, his parents insisted him to join the school , so that he won’t get bored at home and would learn. On joining school, he was disgusted as, he had to face lot of hardships, and teachers were also reluctant also to accept him.However, dedicated to learn, Amir refused to go home and stayed there. “When firstly teachers told me that it is better that I should sit at home, I obeyed them and did it. but soon as my grandmother stood with me and encouraged me to join again, I did so. This time I used not pay attention to anyone, who was against me for joining school”, says amir. Gradually, with the velour to read and write he worked hard and trained himself in writing with his foot.
“Initially we were against him for joining school because he had no hands and we thought that he cannot learn, but he was outshining with every passing day,” says one of his teachers. However he had to face other troubles at the school as most people were still unwilling to help him. “In school I had to face lots of problems, like going to toilet etc” he says, “even it was really hard to travel three kilometers distance to school by foot” he says. Once, as he recalls, has to wait from morning to evening as button of his pant broke, while going to school. “I asked few people to help me but no one came forward. Thus with bashfulness in my eyes I remained sited inside an agriculture field till the night fall and then went home and took my pent into mouth.”
Despite the difficulties, he continued his struggle and continued his studies a nd passed h is c lass 10th in and 12th with flying colors.In between this he changed himself into a person who was not dependent on anyone. He took every difficulty as challenge for himself. While learning swimming taking inspiration from ducks, to developing tastes of becoming cricketer like Sachin Tendulkar and doing paintings to render name like M F Hussain, Amir Hussain is no less that miracle for his friends and family. He, despite losing, his both arms is one of the finest bowlers and batsman of his area. Taking cricket Ball in fingers of foot and with amazing line-length everyone in the cricket buds stands puzzled. Moreover his strange style of holding bat between neck and shoulders has left everyone who saw him, speechless.
His talent was channelized when Amir joined the cricket in his college. “Everyone was stunned there to see e playing cricket in college. Within few minutes everyone was applauding for me and I became an icon in Degee College Bejibehara” says hussain. Lone’s this talent was seen by one of the faculty members in the college who made his contact for joining national team. Looking at his extraordinary performance he was not even selected in the national Para-cricket team of J&K but was even, appointed as Captain. From there, after coaching for few months, he and his team went to play in Delh.
In Delhi Amir showed such a performance that opposite team put him on their shoulders. “He decided to bad on last number and when everyone was out, he took all the match on his head and stood not-out. With his great performance we won match against team of Delhi,” says, Zahoor Ahmad, one of the teammates. Zahoor was himself inspired by Amir’s performance and this made him to join the team. “I belong to the same area, when I used to watch Amir’s performance I used to get encouraged as I have defect in only one leg. He encouraged me so much that I also started playing and joined the team,” says Zahoor, victim of polio.In the mean time Amir, visited many places across India with his team and everywhere he stood, on the top.
“I wanted to create an example that a person like me can do anything and can be self-reliable. This is my answer to those people who rejected me and told my parents that that, if they should not waste money on me,” says Lone, with moist eyes.Despite showing such hardships, Amir is bit discouraged and unhappy with the administration, as, according to him nothing much is being done for people like him as compared to other parts of India. But he is fully Optimistic that time will come that when people like him will not stay confined to their houses and become parasites for their families. Amir is now working more hard and wishes to join International P ara-cricket team of India. He wishes to become household name like Parvaiz Rasool , who hails from the same area.
