XTRASPECIAL
Mahesh Pagadala
Mahesh Pagadala, a 24-year-old youth from Vasco with locomotor disability at birth has overcome many challenges and focusing on sports, has become a role model for others. Having arthrogryposis, involving both lower limbs with multiple deformities Mahesh has 75% permanent disability in both his legs. Despite this physical challenge, Mahesh’s interest in sports only grew with age, and at 13 he won a gold medal in wheelchair race in 2012 and a bronze in shot put in the same year. Then there was a prolonged gap of a decade in his sports activities until he participated in power lifting in Mumbai in 2023 as his gym coach Mukesh Girap motivated him.
Mahesh participated in para power lifting in 2024. There was no looking back since then. He won a bronze in state para table tennis, third place in Divyaang bodybuilding, first place in both shot put and discus throw in state para athletics championships. In power lifting he came first in the State under 93 kg category and won five time State championship in power lifting in 83 kg category. He also participates in para swimming.
“The gap of a decade was because in normal school I could not participate with other students as I had a disability. After I joined the gym multiple doors opened up for me and my participation in all sports was in full swing,” says Mahesh whose father and brother both work in the navy on a private basis at Vasco.
As a kid Mahesh was refused admission in class I at a normal school. So his parents got him enrolled in a special school where he studied till std IV. Mahesh recalls his headmistress Vinny Fernandes at New Dawn Ashadeep Special School at Vasco who accepted him. PE teacher Varsha, other teachers Sunita and Venita were very kind. At Deepvihar High School, Maria Rodrigues accepted him and principal Snehal Sanzgiri supported him till SSC. During HSSC teachers Aparna, Anuja and Kalpana were considerate. Graduation at MES College was easy as principal Dr Meenakshi Bawa brought his classroom from first floor to ground floor. Dr Sonal Thakker, the new principal Dr Manasvi Kamat helped him too. Friends Nehal, Anita, Asif, Suhana, Rohan and Shivam remained his strength throughout.
From class I to XII, Mahesh’s father dropped and picked him. Later Mahesh added a side wheel to his father’s two-wheeler. He got his own bike from the government. Gradually Mahesh learnt to overcome all challenges. Involvement in sports helped him to survive in this world without stress or tension. Brother Mahendra and cousin brother Narayan Rao accompany him like a shadow. When he participates in powerlifting or bodybuilding competitions, it takes an entire day, and during all this time both brothers are together. “My people helped me to overcome my disability and tweak it into ability,” smiles Mahesh who gets government aid through Dayanand Samajik Suraksha Yojana.
Mahesh’s journey in sports begins from Ashadeep, when he played his first national through school athletics held in Chennai, and won a gold in wheelchair race and bronze in shot put. After 12th, he joined the gym in the Sports Authority of Goa Vasco unit, as he had nurtured this childhood dream. At the gym he met coach Mukesh Girap who encouraged him to train and participate in powerlifting, bodybuilding. Today Mahesh has several medals in these sports.
As Mahesh began to attend athletics meets at Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Stadium he met others like him and came to know about different para sports events in Goa. He soon became a part of the group and participated in the Purple fests in January 2024 in wheelchair cricket. “I played and scored in the first match with Maharashtra 49 runs and one wicket. In the second match with Karnataka, it rained and I got out on 0, but in the third match with MP I scored 83 runs and was declared ‘Man of the Match’. I was included in the national team. Now every Sunday our practices in para table tennis, para badminton, para swimming and many other sports go on. I travel from Vasco to Cortalim, keep my bike there and travel with Stanny from Margao. We have to travel to Campal stadium as there are no other accessible indoor stadiums for persons with disabilities. But I must admit sport has made my life joyful. I have found a way to express myself.
Now Mahesh wants others to indulge in art, music, writing or sports. He appeals to the world to recognise that people with disabilities are valuable members of society, and that their value is not defined by their ability to work. “Make society more inclusive by ensuring that people with disabilities have access to the same services and opportunities as everyone else. Challenges can be overcome, and each challenge can be a lesson,” expresses Mahesh.
