Wheelchair cricket Association of Tamilnadu
D. Ramachandran
President
8248449481
Preethi Srin
Founder, Soulfree
At just eight years of age, this prodigious talent found a place in the playing 11 of the Tamil Nadu Senior women’s cricket team, a record that stands till date. A state level swimmer, the captain of the Tamil Nadu under 19 girls cricket team, and chosen amongst the Who’s Who of America’s students in 1996, Preethi Srinivasan effortlessly excelled in every facet of life. Everything changed in a split-second when she was left paralysed below the neck due to spinal cord injury.
After a period of chrysalis she re-emerged as a butterfly and founded Soulfree www.soulfree.org a charitable organisation that is transforming the “disabled” into “Positively-Abled”!
She is now a PhD scholar at IIT Madras, an inspirational speaker, writer, psychologist, mouth painter and change-maker! The Government of Tamil Nadu bestowed upon her the Kalpana Chawla Award and her work has been lauded by the President of India himself.
She is also an Apex Committee Member of the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association and the women's cricket representative of the Indian Cricket Academy. As an avid supporter of para-sports and especially wheelchair cricket, she is keenly interested in setting up a special committee for para-cricket in Tamil Nadu.
Sagadevan R
Joint President
9655771966
Prof. Dr.Thomas Joseph
Founder & Managing Trustee, SAHAI TRUST
The urge to do medicine was in my blood and when I secured admission at Trivandrum Medical College in 1966 I had no plans for the future other than to become a surgeon. Entering the field of Neurosurgery a few years after my graduation was a quirk of fate, definitely providential. There could be no better place to do Neurosurgery training in India than the Christian Medical College Vellore. Getting married, becoming a father of two children all happened during the rigorous training period. In 1981, with the M.S. Neurosurgery degree, I joined the faculty at CMC Vellore. The period I spent in the UK from 1983-1986 was a period I enjoyed professionally and socially along with my family. Keeping your mind open to different ways of tackling Neurosurgical problems, learning what to discard and fine-tuning to accept challenges unique to India made me a mature and definitely a more humble Neurosurgeon when I returned to CMC. Training young enthusiastic doctors in the art of Neurosurgery, keeping up with the advances in techniques and technology fast changing in the outside world was both exhilarating and taxing. My interest focused on brain tumour surgery and advances in surgery on the spinal cord.
Leaving CMC for greener pastures in Coimbatore was a necessity and the next challenge was to develop good Neurosurgical Departments in various corporate hospitals in Coimbatore and pioneering a Neurosurgical centre in Burdwan in West Bengal.
To leave footsteps in the sand of time usually is incidental and my attraction to the rehabilitation of spinal cord injured persons in India spurred me to form a Charitable Trust in Coimbatore https://www.sahaitrust.org/ to develop a humane and scientifically appropriate Spinal Injuries Rehabilitation Centre which now is a model for the Country to follow. I firmly believe in India for spinal injured persons to be accepted, their achievements have to be better in comparison to normal people. When the idea of introducing sports for paraplegics as a vehicle for recognition was mooted, I wholeheartedly supported it. We need to show our people that the differentially abled persons are capable of bringing far more laurels for our Country than able-bodied athletes.
G. Therasnathan
Secretary
Dr. R. Giridharan, PhD
Associate Professor of Adapted Physical Education in the Faculty of General & Adapted Physical Education and Yoga at Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda Educational and Research Institute, Coimbatore Campus.
He has 13 years of teaching and working experience in the field of adapted physical education as an adapted physical educator; University Special Olympics Course Coordinator; Event Administrator of State Level Adapted Sports Competitions; Athletes with Disabilities Curriculum Board Member; Knowledge Partner in National Institutions and Special Olympics Sports Coach.
He has published three books in the field of Adapted Physical Education: A Resource Manuals. These manuals equip teachers and professionals to facilitate full inclusion where each individual can fully participate in different play activities with fun.
Dr. Giridharan serves on the board of Special Olympics Bharat – Tamil Nadu Chapter as District Secretary, coordinating and organizing training and competitions for children with disabilities.
National Trainer Award Recognized for Trainers training programmed for Special Olympics Bharat, Special Olympics Asia Pacific in the year of 2013.
P. Jaikumar
Joint Secretary
Preethi Srin
Founder, Soulfree
At just eight years of age, this prodigious talent found a place in the playing 11 of the Tamil Nadu Senior women’s cricket team, a record that stands till date. A state level swimmer, the captain of the Tamil Nadu under 19 girls cricket team, and chosen amongst the Who’s Who of America’s students in 1996, Preethi Srinivasan effortlessly excelled in every facet of life. Everything changed in a split-second when she was left paralysed below the neck due to spinal cord injury.
After a period of chrysalis she re-emerged as a butterfly and founded Soulfree www.soulfree.org a charitable organisation that is transforming the “disabled” into “Positively-Abled”!
She is now a PhD scholar at IIT Madras, an inspirational speaker, writer, psychologist, mouth painter and change-maker! The Government of Tamil Nadu bestowed upon her the Kalpana Chawla Award and her work has been lauded by the President of India himself.
She is also an Apex Committee Member of the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association and the women's cricket representative of the Indian Cricket Academy. As an avid supporter of para-sports and especially wheelchair cricket, she is keenly interested in setting up a special committee for para-cricket in Tamil Nadu.
PR. Kumar
Treasurer
Prof. Dr.Thomas Joseph
Founder & Managing Trustee, SAHAI TRUST
The urge to do medicine was in my blood and when I secured admission at Trivandrum Medical College in 1966 I had no plans for the future other than to become a surgeon. Entering the field of Neurosurgery a few years after my graduation was a quirk of fate, definitely providential. There could be no better place to do Neurosurgery training in India than the Christian Medical College Vellore. Getting married, becoming a father of two children all happened during the rigorous training period. In 1981, with the M.S. Neurosurgery degree, I joined the faculty at CMC Vellore. The period I spent in the UK from 1983-1986 was a period I enjoyed professionally and socially along with my family. Keeping your mind open to different ways of tackling Neurosurgical problems, learning what to discard and fine-tuning to accept challenges unique to India made me a mature and definitely a more humble Neurosurgeon when I returned to CMC. Training young enthusiastic doctors in the art of Neurosurgery, keeping up with the advances in techniques and technology fast changing in the outside world was both exhilarating and taxing. My interest focused on brain tumour surgery and advances in surgery on the spinal cord.
Leaving CMC for greener pastures in Coimbatore was a necessity and the next challenge was to develop good Neurosurgical Departments in various corporate hospitals in Coimbatore and pioneering a Neurosurgical centre in Burdwan in West Bengal.
To leave footsteps in the sand of time usually is incidental and my attraction to the rehabilitation of spinal cord injured persons in India spurred me to form a Charitable Trust in Coimbatore https://www.sahaitrust.org/ to develop a humane and scientifically appropriate Spinal Injuries Rehabilitation Centre which now is a model for the Country to follow. I firmly believe in India for spinal injured persons to be accepted, their achievements have to be better in comparison to normal people. When the idea of introducing sports for paraplegics as a vehicle for recognition was mooted, I wholeheartedly supported it. We need to show our people that the differentially abled persons are capable of bringing far more laurels for our Country than able-bodied athletes.
T. Gajendran
Chief Executive Officer
GAJENDRAN.T MPT
TEAM MANAGER, WHEELCHAIR CRICKET ASSOCIATION OF TAMILNADU.
CHIEF PHYSIOTHERAPIST AND HEAD OF UNIT AT SAHAI SPINAL INJURIES REHABILITATION CENTRE, COIMBATORE.
Training in CMC Vellore, Experience of eight years in the field of rehabilitation made to understand the world of spinal injured fellows. With Sahai Trust finding the person for rehabilitation through camps, social media and our earlier rehabilitated persons.
By rehabilitation, we enable spinal injured fellows to lead a dignified life and improve their quality of living. Guiding, supporting them in Para sports and wheelchair cultural activities. Making awareness about spinal injury among the public and health care sectors. Educating and training Para medic professionals and social work students.
Sports is a venture where individuals’ body, mind, and soul become refreshed, strengthened, and rejuvenated. Early days of concentration on individuals track and field events helped us to make one international wheelchair racer, 5 national level, and 10 state level athletes in shot put, javelin, and discus throw.
With the vision of competitive and group sports for the benefits of maximum individual players, we stepped into wheelchair cricket and formed Wheelchair Cricket Association of Tamil Nadu. Registered under Divyang Cricket Control Board Of India.
Main motive is to promote wheelchair cricket in state and national levels. Guidance and technical support to the team players. In the long term, we aim to conduct the Wheelchair Cricket World Cup by India with international standards.
R. Palanisamy
Executive Officer
R. Palanisamy (PT), MLT, MPT, DYHE
SECRETARY AND TEAM COACH WHEELCHAIR CRICKET ASSOCIATION OF TAMILNADU.
I have been working as a physiotherapist at the SAHAI spinal injuries rehabilitation center. By using the modern electronic era, I’m educating and motivating a larger population about health, rehabilitation, fitness, and Para sports via the Health is Wealth YouTube channel.
I kept asking myself why differently-abled persons are not achieving in sports. The first step of my journey started in 2014, when I trained spinal injured persons who came for rehabilitation and made them compete at the district level Para athletic meet.
That first trip to the district level upgraded me now as a coach of international national player today. My soldier achieved 18th in the 200 meters and 20th in the 100 meters world ranking. I’m proud to say that he is the first Para sports person from India to achieve a medal in an international wheelchair race. I continue my scientific exercise programs and hard training protocols to achieve in the Para Olympics. Apart from wheelchair racing, I’m training wheelchair-bound spinal injured persons in other sports activities like shot put, discus, javelin, club throw, and wheelchair cricket.
I strongly believe that differently-abled people empowerment and social integrity can be achieved by group sports activities. In the field of future wheelchair cricket, my aim is to standardize the player’s selection by certified classifiers and to form an experienced medical team exclusively for wheelchair cricket.
As a token of recognition, I received the Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam award 2018 for Para sports excellence by the Coimbatore Physiotherapy Doctors Association.
COMPETITIONS AND MEDAL ACHIEVEMENT UNDER MY TRAINING:
2019 - State level Paralympic Athlete Meet 2019 at Kaaraikudi Tamil Nadu: 11 Athletes participated, achieved 9 medals (5 gold, 3 silver, 1 bronze).
2019 - Manoj Kumar bagged the silver medal for India in both 100 and 200 meters wheelchair race at the 4th International Para Athletics Championship held in North Africa.
2018 - 6 Athletes participated in 4 events and placed 10 medals in TAMILNADU Para sports state championship 2018 at Madurai.
2018 - 4 athletes participated, received 3 medals (1 gold and 2 silver) in the 18th National Para athletics championships at Haryana.
ChinnaDurai
Coordinator
Prof. Dr.Thomas Joseph
Founder & Managing Trustee, SAHAI TRUST
The urge to do medicine was in my blood and when I secured admission at Trivandrum Medical College in 1966 I had no plans for the future other than to become a surgeon. Entering the field of Neurosurgery a few years after my graduation was a quirk of fate, definitely providential. There could be no better place to do Neurosurgery training in India than the Christian Medical College Vellore. Getting married, becoming a father of two children all happened during the rigorous training period. In 1981, with the M.S. Neurosurgery degree, I joined the faculty at CMC Vellore. The period I spent in the UK from 1983-1986 was a period I enjoyed professionally and socially along with my family. Keeping your mind open to different ways of tackling Neurosurgical problems, learning what to discard and fine-tuning to accept challenges unique to India made me a mature and definitely a more humble Neurosurgeon when I returned to CMC. Training young enthusiastic doctors in the art of Neurosurgery, keeping up with the advances in techniques and technology fast changing in the outside world was both exhilarating and taxing. My interest focused on brain tumour surgery and advances in surgery on the spinal cord.
Leaving CMC for greener pastures in Coimbatore was a necessity and the next challenge was to develop good Neurosurgical Departments in various corporate hospitals in Coimbatore and pioneering a Neurosurgical centre in Burdwan in West Bengal.
To leave footsteps in the sand of time usually is incidental and my attraction to the rehabilitation of spinal cord injured persons in India spurred me to form a Charitable Trust in Coimbatore https://www.sahaitrust.org/ to develop a humane and scientifically appropriate Spinal Injuries Rehabilitation Centre which now is a model for the Country to follow. I firmly believe in India for spinal injured persons to be accepted, their achievements have to be better in comparison to normal people. When the idea of introducing sports for paraplegics as a vehicle for recognition was mooted, I wholeheartedly supported it. We need to show our people that the differentially abled persons are capable of bringing far more laurels for our Country than able-bodied athletes.