Dear all, Taking the liberty of copying the text and insering link to times of India article which came out today. Thanks and regards Asif
A marathoner guided by sound, not sight https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/a-marathoner-guided-by-sound-not-sight/articleshow/106938303.cms Printed from A marathoner guided by sound, not sight TNN | Jan 18, 2024, 03.21 AM IST A marathoner guided by sound, not sight MUMBAI: Mohammed Asif Iqbal's viewpoint is clear. The blind man, who is set to run 21km at Tata Mumbai Marathon (TMM) this Sunday, is thankful God gave him the courage to run. "I could've wasted away at home, but the Almighty has been kind... I had never imagined I would be able to run, but here I am..." he says. The Kolkata resident will be flanked by a pair of buddy runners as he hits the ground running blindfolded on Sunday. His running buddies-Mumbai resident Jay Mali and Prakash Singh from Kolkata-will guide Iqbal along the route as they sprint along, steering him in the right direction with just their voices. It's not unusual for visually challenged persons to participate in races. But what makes Iqbal's case unique is that he will not be bound by a bandana strapped to his running buddy, as is usually the case. "I'll run with no strings attached...with no physical assistance," he says. But why run blindfolded? Iqbal says his attempt once to get an entry in Limca Book of Records was rejected on the grounds that he had not been blindfolded in line with a rule framed to prevent those with no visual loss from claiming records in the blind category. Ever since then, he has been running blindfolded. Typically, on Sundays, he runs between 15km and 21km with Singh. "On weekdays, daily office grind keeps us busy," says an associate director at PwC. He started running seven years ago, holding the elbow of a sighted person, until a friend advised him to try running without holding hands. "I was jittery at that," he admits. The honk of a vehicle or the roar of its engine was scary. "Today, I run like a free bird," he says, adding that this kind of running has earned him a credit in Asia Book of Records and India Book of Records. Iqbal was born with 50% vision. Iqbal is waiting to get to Mumbai this Friday. Last year, he clocked 3 hours 19 minutes for the half marathon, but this year he has set his sights on finishing it in 2 hours 45 minutes. Next year, he hopes to do the full marathon (42km). "That would be a Guinness World Record," says Iqbal. "I believe I can do it." Mohammed Asif Iqbal Associate director Pwc India DN 56 & 57, Sector V Saltlake Kolkata, India 700091 M: +919830059830 E: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> ________________________________ "The information transmitted, including any attachments, is intended only for the person or entity to which it is addressed and may contain confidential and/or privileged material. Any review, retransmission, dissemination or other use of, or taking of any action in reliance upon, this information by persons or entities other than the intended recipient is prohibited, and all liability arising therefrom is disclaimed. If you received this in error, please contact the sender and delete the material from any computer. Please note if the e-mail address include "TPR", the sender of this e-mail is a third party resource, and not an employee, who has been specifically authorized to correspond routine matters related to the project only. For any clarification with regard to any non-routine or engagement specific deliverables please contact the assigned project manager/ project partner." ________________________________ -- Disclaimer: 1. Contents of the mails, factual, or otherwise, reflect the thinking of the person sending the mail and AI in no way relates itself to its veracity; 2. AI cannot be held liable for any commission/omission based on the mails sent through this mailing list.. Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "AccessIndia" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/a/accessindia.org.in/d/msgid/accessindia/MAXPR01MB3278C75E28EB0C887E66E01CB1712%40MAXPR01MB3278.INDPRD01.PROD.OUTLOOK.COM.
