Gold brings recognition for hearing impaired player

Chandigarh, September 19

Parul Gupta has had many successes, but it was only a recent title that got the 19-year-old deaf tennis player the much needed attention.

Gupta, who started playing tennis at the age of 10 years, has faced many hurdles. In her early days of playing tennis, she was shunted out of a district meet due to her deafness. Ever since, she has been struggling to fund herself.

However, she seems to have finally gotten the attention she needed, courtesy the doubles title she won in the Slovenia Deaf Open, organised by the International Committee of Sports for the Deaf (ICSD), recently. This is her second title of the year.

Last year, she had won doubles gold in the Asia Pacific Deaf Games. Gupta has participated in many events, including the 22nd Summer Deaf Olympics held in Sofia (Bulgaria), World Deaf Tennis Championship held in Nottingham (England), 2nd Open Deaf Youth Tennis Cup in Hamburg (Germany), Dresse and Maere Tennis Cup in USA.

But in all these tournaments, she funded herself. She was not even going to participate in the Slovenia Deaf Open due to financial crunch. However, she was helped by Punjab National Bank (PNB). After she won the title, PNB not only promised her a job but also promised to help her in her tennis career. Following PNB’s lead, other private players have also jumped in to help Gupta. “It’s very heartening that my effort is being appreciated, though, it would have been great if I had gotten this support earlier. The latest title has given me a new lease on life. With this sort of financial support in the early days of my career, I would have become an even better player,” said Gupta. A few years back, the Punjab government had announced Rs 2 lakh to her. The government had also announced a monthly stipend of Rs 5,500 in order to help her get good coaching but Gupta is yet to receive a single penny from the government. “My father tried everything to get help from the government. Before the Slovenia Deaf Open, it was my father who managed to attract the sponsors at the last moment. My doubles partner (from Hyderabad) received over Rs 20 lakh from the government as soon as she landed but I got nothing, not even a simple letter of appreciation from the government,” added Gupta.

She has already started training for next year’s World Deaf Games, to be held in Turkey. “Hopefully, before next month, she will get a job and then she will play with a free mind. In the World Deaf Games, she will also play in the singles event,” said Avinash Gupta, her father.