Tale of an unsung hero!

Anantnag:- Amir Hussain was a child like any child: innocent, carefree and happy-go-lucky till an adversity of life changing proportion hit him. 

It was another autumn day in September 21, 1997, 2nd that, Amir, a primary school student from Wagam Bejebihara, was sent to drop lunchbox for his brother, working at sawmill with another mechanic. Amir, an active, fun and frolic loving kid started playing at the mill, while his brother and colleague were taking their lunch.  It was then that the cruel hand and scythe of destiny changed the young boy’s life forever.

While trying to imitate his seniors Amir placed a piece of wood under the blades, but he got caught was rolled around. The accident cut his both arms. “The injuries were so severe and gory that no one ventured to take him to the hospital,” said Zahoor Ahmad an eye witnesses. 

“We informed army instead and they took him to the hospital.” His initial dressing was done at the   local army camp and was rushed to Srinagar for further treatment.  

At the Bone and Joint Hospital Srinagar doctors conducted multiple operations and had to cut his arms from shoulders. “I remained in different hospitals of Srinagar for three years and in between this, I saw everything falling apart before my eyes” says Amir.

 “Even when I was brought home people suggested to my parents that, they should find some way to eliminate me as I was now a worthless piece of bone and flesh and had already taken a heavy toll on my parents.”  

However, parents of Amir didn’t leave him alone and made it sure that they will do everything they could for him.  “I had to sell most part of my agriculture fields and sawmill to make sure that my son is treated well. I even took a loan from bank for the purpose,” says Bashir Ahmad Lone, father of Amir Hussain adding but how one could abandon his child?

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After a few months when Amir recovered, his parents insisted him to join the school, so that he didn’t feel left out in home. On joining the school, he was disgusted as, he had to face lot of hardships, and teachers were also reluctant to accept him. However, dedicated to learn, Amir refused to go home and stayed there. “When first teachers told me that it is better that I sit at home, I obeyed them and did it, but soon my grandmother stood with me and encouraged me to join again and I did so. This time I refused to pay attention to anyone”, Amir said.   

“I vowed to read and write and worked hard and trained myself in writing with my toes. 

“Initially we were against him joining the school because he had no hands and we thought that he wouldn’t learn, but soon he proved all of us wrong when he outshined with every passing day,” said one of his teachers.  

However he had to face other troubles at the school as most people were still unwilling to help him. “In school I had to face lots of problems, like while going to toilet etc” he says, “it was really hard to travel three kilometre distance to school by foot” he says. 

Once, as he recalls, he had to wait from morning to evening as button of his pants broke off, while going to school. “I asked few people for help but no one came forward. I was ashamed of walking without pants and had to hide inside an agriculture field till the dusk fell. It was only then that I went home catching my trouser with teeth.”

Despite the difficulties, he continued his struggle and passed his class 10th and 12th exams with flying colours. In between this he changed himself into a person who was not dependent on anyone. He took every difficulty as challenge for himself.

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While learning swimming taking inspiration from ducks, to developing tastes of becoming cricketer like Sachin Tendulkar and paintings like MF Hussain, Amir Hussain is no less than a miracle  for his friends and family. 

He, despite losing, his both arms is one of the finest bowlers and batsman of his area. Taking cricket ball in toes and with amazing line-length everyone in the cricket buffs stand puzzled. Moreover his strange style of holding bat between neck and shoulders has left everyone who sees him, speechless.  

His talent was channelized when Amir joined the cricket team in his college.  “Everyone was stunned there to see he playing cricket in college. Within few minutes everyone was applauding for me and I became an icon in Degree College Bejibehara” he says. Amir’s this talent was seen by one of the faculty members in the college who utilized his contacts and got him join the national team. 

Looking at his extraordinary performance, he was not only selected in the Para-cricket team of J&K but was even, appointed as Captain. From there, after coaching for few months, he and his team went to play in Delhi. 

In Delhi, Amir showed such a performance that rival team carried him on their shoulders. “He decided to bat on last number and when everyone was out, he took charge and stood not-out. With his great performance we won match against team of Delhi,” says, Zahoor Ahmad, one of the teammates.  Zahoor was himself inspired by Amir’s performance and this made him to join the team. “I belong to the same area, when I used to watch Amir’s performance I used to get encouraged as I have defect in my left leg. He encouraged me so much that I also started playing and joined the team,” says Zahoor, victim of polio. 

In the mean time Amir, visited many places across India with his team and everywhere he stood, on the top. “I wanted to create an example that a person like me can do anything and can be self-reliant. This is my answer to those people who rejected me and told my parents that that, they should not waste money on me,” says Amir, with moist eyes. Despite showing such hardships, Amir is bit discouraged and unhappy with the administration, as, according to him nothing much is being done for people like him as compared to other parts of India. 

But he is fully optimistic that time will come that when people like him will not stay confined to their houses and become parasites for their families. 

Amir is now working more hard and wishes to join International Para-Cricket team of India. He wishes to become a household name like Parvaiz Rasool , who hails from his hometown.

Amir’s exceptional and outstanding odyssey in overcoming adversity is an inspiration for all of us.  Our society has become a society and culture of complaint. We complain about everything and yet fail to remedy our respective conditions. But Amir, almost a toddler when fate dealt a cruel hand to him did not wallow in despair and despondency. He, with courageous support from his brave and noble family braved all odds and not only overcame his adversity and handicap but also turned adversity on its head and went onto become a celebrity. Amir’s saga is a saga of endurance and triumph of will over great traumatic adversity.

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