“My journey at IIMB started in 2012, during the first ever T-20 World Cup,” says Shekar Naik, Program Administrator at IIM Bangalore.
Shekar is many things- a Padma Shri awardee, an accomplished national cricketer, and captain of the Indian National blind cricket team. Achieving everything that he has, Shekar says, “There is only ability in disability.”
The first ever Blind World Cup T-20 witnessed a participation of more than 9 countries. Ramping up to big event, Shekar, then-captain of the India National Blind Cricket team couldn’t avail a single practice cricket ground across Bangalore. “It was then that IIMB came forward to provide us with their cricket ground. What followed is a rigorous 50-day coaching camp situated on campus — thanks to an initiative by the then-student union”. And the result? India won the first ever T-20 World Cup against Pakistan.
“Following that experience, it had always been a dream of mine to work at IIMB”, said Shekar.
With two championship victories in the T-20 and ODI cricket World Cups under his captaincy, along with a Padma Shri and a 2017 National Award from the President of India for ‘Best Sportsperson in the Field of Disability,’ Shekar set his sights on building a support system for specially-abled cricketers, channeling his passion into his next endeavor.
To his surprise, he said, “No corporates, nor the BCCI, NGOs, neither the government wanted to have me as a valued employee”. “The Padma Shri can’t feed me, right?” he candidly remarked.
It was then that Shekar once again crossed paths with IIMB, joining as a Program Administrator, beginning a new chapter of his journey in 2021.
On his experience at IIMB so far, Shekar shared a special anecdote.
“I started my cricket journey in 1997. After 19 years, in 2016, I decided to focus my efforts on nurturing young, budding talent. That is when I founded my own cricket academy, Shekar Naik foundation, where I train visually impaired cricketers using innovative and accessible technologies. My goal is to impact at least 100 visually impaired cricketers every year. Over the past five years, I have led 11 coaching camps, and this year, I’m proud to say that I approached IIMB once again for their cricket ground, and they wholeheartedly supported my independent initiative.”
Speaking on how institutions can improve to better support people with disabilities, Shekar advocated for institutions to re-examine their built-in barriers and learn to reframe disability as an essential and valued part of the human experience.
