It was 2.30 pm on Sunday and blind cricketers from Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir who had come to participate in the two-day maiden T-20 tournament in Jalandhar were standing in scorching heat for over two hours at the Punjab Armed Police Cricket Ground, waiting for a local politician to come and give away prizes to them.

The players, already exhausted after playing two matches in warm weather, were repeatedly wiping their faces to prevent sweat from running into their eyes. Suddenly, the organiser got a call that the ‘politician’ will not be able to make it to their investiture ceremony due to his busy schedule.

A sense of gloom filled with dejection ran on cricketers’ faces. It was not the first time that a politician and over a dozen celebrities in the city refused to come as a chief guest to their tournament. Last year also, a local MLA didn’t turn up after promising them to attend their closing ceremony.

“Look at the irony of our lives. While the whole nation is applauding and celebrating the win of two of our players at the Rio Paralympics, not even a single spectator turned up to watch our tournament. For us, we are the players, host and even spectators. Though we cannot see each other clearly, we appreciate each other by words and through loud applause,” said Tejinder, an international blind cricketer and the sole organiser of the tournament. He later went to the J&K team and urged them to pick their trophies and certificates from the dais as no one will turn up to give away the prizes.

It was only then The Tribune team present at the venue intervened and urged the players to wait for some more time. The Tribune team hurriedly called Deputy Commissioner KK Yadav to preside over the ceremony but he claimed helplessness to attend the event due to his busy schedule with Election Commissioner AK Joti.

However, a second call made to community police officer Deepika Singh was attended by the distinguished officer, known for her dedication and community welfare schemes in the city. Though the young officer was at a coffee shop with her friends on Sunday, she reached the venue in a few minutes.

“A cup of coffee and a bunch of friends can wait but we should not let our special players wait for even a single minute. Please wait and I will be there in the next five minutes,” said the officer on the phone.

The dashing officer not only played with the blind cricketers on the sunny afternoon, she even applauded them for their grit, determination and also for their passion for the game. Later, while giving away the prizes, she even assured them all necessary help by her department.

Monty Sehgal, president of the Cricket Association for Blind, Punjab, said the smiles seen on the players’ faces were priceless and they were a witness that good Samaritans do exist in the police department as well.

Source: http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/jalandhar/when-a-cop-brought-cheer-to-visually-challenged-players/294052.html