Abilympics participants share stories of resilience
Teaching art to children with intellectual disabilities and working as a part-time tailor, Singh's story reflects the spirit of the Abilympics.
"Art has always been my voice when words failed me. There were times when self-doubt, financial struggles, and lack of support made me question my path—but I held on to my brush like a lifeline. This platform makes me feel seen, valued, and inspired to do more. Today, I not only create art, I teach it—because if it helped me heal, maybe it can help someone else too," said Singh.
He is not the only one. Participants like Nirlesh Pandey, a hearing-impaired BTech graduate from IIT Kanpur, and Mohammad Afzal Ansari, an MBA holder with a learning disability caused by the 2001 Bhuj earthquake, emphasised how the Abilympics gave them recognition and purpose. With the help of a translator, Nirlesh Pandey spoke to TOI, "I never let my hearing impairment define me. Being at the Abilympics connects me with people who share that same fire to overcome.
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Mohammad Afzal Ansari, a participant in the desktop publishing category, shared, "That earthquake changed my body, but not my spirit."
The two-day event that kicked off on Friday saw over 100 participants.
It was inaugurated by Narendra Kumar Kashyap, minister for Backward Classes Welfare and Disabled Empowerment of Uttar Pradesh.
Organised by the National Abilympic Association of India (NAAI) in collaboration with Sarthak Educational Trust, the participants competed in over a dozen categories including photography, painting & decorating, basket making, crochet, massage therapy, hairdressing, cake decoration, etc.
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