{
    "id": "14452",
    "author": "13",
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    "title": "No arms, no problem: Kashmir youth's indomitable cricket dream survives",
    "lang": "en",
    "series": "20",
    "cup_year": "2016",
    "article_type": "General",
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    "editor1": "<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Srinagar, Feb 21 (Cricketnmore):<\/strong> He was eight when he lost both his arms in a machine accident. Twelve years later, he is a cricketer playing for his state, batting, bowling and fielding with ease found in few among his able-bodied peers. South Kashmir resident Aamir Hussain, 20, has confounded the people in Bijbehara, 45 km from Srinagar, with his amazing abilities in cricket to which he took as a devoted fan of batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Aamir is a resident of Waghama village near Bijbhehar on the banks of the Jhelum river, which is part of the Kashmir Valley belt that specialises in making the famed Kashmir Willow bat.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Young boys here take to ball and bat at a young age, going out to the field whenever they find the opportunity.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Parvez Rasool -- the first Jammu and Kashmir cricketer to find a place in the Indian national team -- too hails from Bijbehara.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">For Aamir, his dream of becoming a cricketer would have been cut short suddenly when he lost both his arms from the shoulders while playing near a bandsaw machine at a willow-cutting unit.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">For Aamir&#39;s parents - Bashir Ahmad Lone and Raja Begum - the accident was a huge shock. His father, a farm labour, sold almost his entire property to save his son -- second among five siblings comprising four sons and a daughter.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Aamir remained restricted to a hospital bed for almost three years.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">After the young boy got out, he learnt how to live life as a differently-abled person -- with his doting grandmother assisting him at each step of the torturous rehabilitation process.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Aamir learnt to perform daily chores -- so easy for a normal-bodied person -- with his lower limbs. Slowly, but surely, he began picking up objects with his feet and, over a period of time, could lift a glass full of water to his lips, wash himself and even comb his hair.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">&quot;It took me two years to learn to do all things by myself. Now I do them easily without anyone&#39;s help,&quot; Aamir told IANS.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">He also learnt to hold a pen with his foot to write and paint with a brush.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">&quot;Initially, I found it very hard to write. But I had no other option. I wanted to prove myself,&quot; Aamir said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Despite hardships, Aamir again picked up his interrupted studies and cleared his class 10 and 12 examinations. He took each difficulty he faced in life as a challenge -- even learning to swim after seeing how the ducks paddled.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Yet his dream of being a cricketer had not quite died down. He developed a unique style of holding the bat between his neck and shoulder, to effectively tackle the bowling. He also acquired another remarkable ability -- to hold the red cherry in his toes and hurl it as a leg spin, swinging his foot from the hip.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">As to fielding, he does it with aplomb, using his feet dexterously to stop the ball or catch it.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Because of his extraordinary bowling and batting skills, he was picked up for the Jammu and Kashmir para-cricket team in 2013 and soon appointed captain of the squad.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The devastating floods of 2014 in the Kashmir Valley kept Aamir away from cricket for a year but the state team management did not allow him to remain away from the game for long.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Aamir skippered the state team at the 2015 inter-state para-cricket tournament in Lucknow where his team won against Manipur. His performance was greatly appreciated at the tournament by everyone.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Having played in Jammu, Delhi and Lucknow, Aamir now has his sights set on foreign venues representing India at International Para-Cricket tournaments.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Aamir&#39;s struggle for a normal life against all odds is the story of an extraordinary achievement which is likely to inspire several others in the state and elsewhere.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Agency.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<hr \/>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n",
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    "created": "2016-02-21 16:38:00",
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