The series on ‘Promoting Safe Sports post lockdown was conducted in collaboration with the Sports Authority of India
With signs of the lockdown opening ,SO Bharat rolled out a series of nine Webinars across diverse subjects from 1 to 19 June 2020, reaching out to an average of over 200 viewers each day from India Singapore UAE USA Pakistan Germany & Sri Lanka. The topics, in conjunction with the current scenario included, harnessing technology in developing sports, promoting Non-contact sports and protecting Mental Health during the current outbreak
While the experts drew attention towards the process of promoting safe sports, few Athlete leaders from different states of India expressed their thoughts on the ongoing crisis and also sharing their experiences and fitness schedules throughout the lockdown and the precautions to be taken as the sports field opens gradually. Each day saw the gracious presence of a renowned personality from the world of sports and Television
Building Relationship with Parent & Communities
On 1 June the session was taken by Mr Bibek Bardhan & Ms Lina Bardhan.
View Mr Bibek Bardhan’s Presentation here
View Ms Lina Bardhan’s Presentation here
Mr Bibek Bardhan , presently a Senior Advisor to SO Bharat, has been associated with the organization since early 1990. He has been a member of the Global Advisory group on Unified Sports, a lead trainer & curriculum designer for Coaches & Athletes of SO Bharat. Presently a Senior Advisor to SO Bharat. Ms Lina Bardhan has served as Area Director of the West Bengal Chapter for many years. An alumnus of the Calcutta University, she is Masters in Psychology, she is the Principal & Secretary of the Noble Mission, a leading entity in the education and rehabilitation of persons with Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities.
The Guest for the day was Mr Manoj Kumar, the Indian Boxer , a 2010 Commonwealth Games Gold Medalist and an Arjun Awardee. The Athlete leader for the day was Yashika Bhatt from Delhi. She won a Silver Medal in Basket ball at the Special Olympics World Summer Games held in Abu Dhabi in 2019
Harnessing Technology in Developing SO Sports
On 3 June 2020 the session was led by Dr Amitav Mishra. View his presentation here
Dr Amitav Mishra is the General Secretary of SO Bharat. He has been actively involved in clinical, teaching and research activities in the area of disability management and education since 1990. He is currently working as Professor at Indira Gandhi National Open University, New Delhi. Dr. Mishra graduated in the subject of mental retardation (BMR) with a gold medal from the National Institute for the Mentally Handicapped (Osmania University, Hyderabad)
The Guest for the day was Ms Jasjeet Kaur Handa, the Indian Hockey Player and an Arjun Awardee who won a Team Bronze in the 2006 Asian Games. The Athlete leader for the day was Ankush Saha from Karnataka, a Silver Medalist in Golf at the Special Olympics World Summer Games held in Abu Dhabi in 2019
Build Your Nutritional Strength and Immunity
On 5 June 2020 the session was led by Dr Manisha Vyas. View her presentation here
Dr Vyas is a Clinical Director – Health Promotion, SO Bharat and has a doctorate in Applied Nutrition with Masters in Dietetics.
She has been in the field of education since 1995. She has been a lecturer at the Sheth P. T. Mahila College of Arts and Home Science, Vanita Vishram, Surat for 15 years. Presently she is the Principal of the L.P. Savani School, Surat.
The Guest for the day was Ms Deepa, an International Player having represented India in Handball in the 2018 Asian Games held in indonesia. The Athlete leader for the day was Kiran Nag from Odisha, a Gold Medalist in Athletics at the National Games held in Jamshedpur, Jharkhand
Guide to better Oral Health
On 8 June 2020 the session was led by Dr Reena R Kumar. View her presentation here
Dr Reena R Kumar, Regional Clinical Adviser Special Smiles, Special Olympics Asia Pacific Region and is the Secretary, International Association of Disability & Oral Health, India Chapter. She is the National Coordinator IDA for Special Care Dentistry & the Faculty Adviser of the American Academy of Developmental Medicine & Dentistry. She has created yearlong sustainable access to oral health care for people with ID through DCI & IDA. Recipient of the Golasino Health Leadership Award from Special Olympics Asia Pacific in 2018 and the AADMD Educational Achievement Award at Chicago in 2016 for Outstanding Leadership & Service. She has extensive work in field of Special Care with emphasis on Sleep Medicine.
The Guest for the day was Dr Vibha Bhagat, an artist, model & blogger. She is a renowned TV actress, theatre personality having an experience of working with the Media industry for 18 years. The Athlete leader for the day was Vinay Kumar Nayak, an Athlete leader and a Floorball player from Chattisgarh
Yoga for Physical & Mental Fitness, Firmness & Flexibility
On 10 June 2020 the session was led by Ms Namrata Menon. View her presentation (to be uploaded)
Ms Menon has set up the ‘World of Yoga’, an internationally registered School of Yoga, in Goa in March 2000 . She is a Yoga Acharya, Yoga Shiromani (master in hatha yoga), Yoga Bhaskara (specializes in advanced Pranayama or yogic breathing techniques)-from the Sivananda International Vedanta institute. In March 2019, the Goa Government appointed Namrata as the Brand Ambassador for Yoga for the State
The Guest for the day was Ms Tanya Bhatia, an Indian Cricketer. The International Cricket Council named her as one of the five breakout stars in women’s Cricket in 2018. The Athlete leader for the day was Debolina Mahanta, a student of Ashadeep Rehabilitation Centre and a Badminton player from Guwahati Assam.
Promoting Non- Contact Sport
On 12 June 2020 the session was led by Sulekha Rana, Director Sports at SO Bharat. View her presentation here
Ms Sulekha Rana is Director of Sports with SO Bharat. She has a double Masters in Political Science & Public Administration along with being NIS certified (Softball), which is amongst her other certifications. With her expertise lying in the field of sports, she has participated across multiple sporting avenues at the State, National and International levels, since joining SO Bharat in 2005. Her contribution in strengthening the platform of sports for the Inclusion of Persons with intellectual Disabilities continues.
The Guest for the day was Mr Balraj Syal, Actor, Writer and a stand-up Comedian, having appeared in many popular small screen entertainment programs including Khatron Ke Khiladi 10. The Athlete leader for the day was Indramani Kandi, an Athlete from Odisha, showing an inclination towards a number of sports. He has participated in Athletics, Cricket, Handball, Floorball and Floor Hockey. He participated in the Youth Summit held during the Special Olympics World Summer Games held in Abu Dhabi in March 2019
Developing Skills- Football & Volleyball
On 15 June 2020 the session was led by Dr Ajit Kumar, Asst Professor Sports, Amity University NOIDA View his presentation here
Dr Ajit Kumar is working as an Assistant Professor in Amity School of Physical Education & Sports Sciences, Amity University Uttar Pradesh. He is holding Ph.D degree in Physical Education and Sports Sciences from University of Delhi for his study on Public Perception of Commonwealth Games-2010 as a senior research fellow (SRF). His core competency area is in Organizational Behavior in Sports, Teaching Pedagogy. Presently, he is associated with two international funded research projects as Co-Principal investigator, working in association with Special Olympics in the area of sports promotion among intellectually disabled children in India
The Guest for the day was Mr Shubham Sarangi, Indian Footballer, playing for the Odisha Football club. He is an aggressive attacking midfielder. The Athlete leader for the day was Abhiranjan Kumar , an Athlete from Jharkhand. His journey in Special Olympics started in 2014 and he participated in Unified Floorball at the Special Olympics World Winter games 2017 , winning a team Gold medal.
Developing Skills- Netball & Basketball
On 17 June 2020 the session was led by Mr Vinod PG, Asst Basketball Coach SAI NS NIS, Patiala. View his presentation here
Mr Vinod is working as an Assistant Basketball Coach at the Sports Authority of India, National Institute of Sports, Patiala, since 2016. While his expertise lies in Basketball, he has supported many privileged sporting assignments including being an Assistant Coach for the 24th FIBAASIAU-18(Boys) Championship qualifying Round (SABA Games) at Dhaka, Bangladesh-2016–enabling a team Gold win
The Guest for the day was Dr Syed Kirmani, the only wicket keeper in the world to have received the ‘Best Wicket Keeper in the world’ award during the 1983 World Cup that India won for the first time. The Athlete leader for the day was Arushi Sharma, who won a Silver medal in Basket ball in the Special Olympics World Summer Games held in Abu Dhabi in 2019. She has also won a Gold medal in netball at the National Championship held in 2017
Protecting Mental Health
On 19 June 2020 the Resource Person was Ms Chitra Shah, Area Director- SO Bharat – Puducherry. View her presentation here
Chitra Shah is MSW and a Gold medalist from the Madras school of Social work, Chitra is passionate about changing lives of the people with disabilities (PWDs). With over 20 years of experience in the field of disability her vision to create awareness and change in the community to ensure inclusion of the excluded can be seen in action at Satya Special School and in her work. She is the Founder Director of Satya Special School which caters to over 950 CWSNs in Puducherry.
The Guest for the day was Mr Vinit Rai, Indian Footballer, a promising mid fielder playing for the Odisha Football Club. The Athlete leader for the day was Ajay Ganesan , who participated in Badminton and Bocce at the district level, winning a Gold medal in both.
To address challenges and opportunities for the Special Athletes during the Covid 19 lockdown period Special Olympics Bharat conducted a series of Webinars from 1-6 May 2020 in collaboration with the Sports Authority of India. All six days addressed a different topic presented by experts from specific fields. With an average attendance of over 300 from Bangladesh, Bahrain, India, Pakistan, Nepal, UAE,USA, Singapore & Sri Lanka the Webinars were successful in spreading awareness and enhancing sensitization across a diverse population.
1 May 2020– Intellectual Disability- Dr Amitav Mishra- General Secretary SO Bharat
2 May 2020– Unified Sports- Mr Victor R Vaz – National Sports Director SO Bharat
3 May 2020 – Health-Dr Reena R Kumar – Regional Clinical Adviser- Special Smiles, SOAP
4 May 2020– Inclusion- Mr Dipak Natali – President & Managing Director, SOAP
5 May 2020 – Mental Health – Ms Chitra Shah – Director, Satya Special School, Puducherry (Area Director – SO Bharat Puducherry)
6 May 2020 – Creating Resources for Athletes- Ms Mukta Narain Thind – National Director- Organization Development SO Bharat
Each Session was of approx 45 mins, beginning with a PPT presentation by the Speaker , of about 30 mins, followed by a brief talk by an Athlete Leader sharing his thoughts on the ongoing global pandemic and how he/she keeps himself/herself engaged during this time. The Session concluded with a round of Q & A
On 1 May 2020, the webinar was led by Dr Amitav Mishra who addressed the subject of Intellectual Disability. He has been actively involved in clinical, teaching and research activities in the area of disability management and education since 1990. He is currently working as Professor at Indira Gandhi National Open University, New Delhi. Dr. Mishra graduated in the subject of mental retardation (BMR) with a gold medal from the National Institute for the Mentally Handicapped (Osmania University, Hyderabad)
His session was followed by an inspirational viewpoint of Sahil Singh.
Sahil , 23 yrs , with Downs Syndrome, is a member of the SO Bharat National Athlete Input Council from Lucknow UP. He was a Self-Advocate at the World Down Syndrome Day 2020 virtual event held in Geneva on the theme ‘We Decide’ on 20th March 2020 by the Down Syndrome International, as part of the 23rd session of the UN committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
View the presentation by Dr Amitav Mishra HERE
Please continue here for the Questions and Sample answers during this session
On 2 May 2020, the webinar was led by Mr Victor R Vaz, National Sports Director of SO Bharat. He addressed the subject of Unified Sports.
Mr Vaz has been a key figure in developing the Program as a National Federation and spreading it to across 31 states/UTs of the country. Having been a State level sportsman, his experience in the field of sports goes back a long way. Along with being awarded by the Department of social welfare, Govt. of Goa for the outstanding work towards development of sports for the disabled he has also received the Man of the year Award in 2004, the Sports Association of Journalist Award and the Sweekar Award.
His session was followed by a brief talk by Niren Patel, Athlete leader from Gujarat
Niren Patel , 32 yrs, is an Assistant Coach from Gujarat and a Silver Medalist in Table Tennis at the SOAP Regional Games held in Australia in 2013. He is a Floor Hockey player as well and an active member of the National Athlete Input Council.
View the presentation by Mr Victor R Vaz HERE
Please continue here for the Questions and Sample answers during this session
On 3 May 2020, the webinar was led by Dr Reena R Kumar, Regional Clinical Adviser Special Smiles, Special Olympics Asia Pacific Region. She addressed the subject of Health Issues and Challenges from the perspective of Persons with Intellectual and Development Disabilities
Dr Reena is the Secretary, International Association of Disability & Oral Health, India Chapter. She is the National Coordinator IDA for Special Care Dentistry & the Faculty Adviser of the American Academy of Developmental Medicine & Dentistry .She has created year long sustainable access to oral health care for people with ID through DCI & IDA. Recipient of the Golasino Health Leadership Award from Special Olympics Asia Pacific in 2018 and the AADMD Educational Achievement Award at Chicago in 2016 for Outstanding Leadership & Service. She has extensive work in field of Special Care with emphasis on Sleep Medicine .
Her session was followed by a brief talk by Rithik Hukku, Athlete leader from Rajasthan. Rithik 24 yrs, joined SO Bharat in 2004 after he was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. He is a passionate sportsperson with a keen interest in Cricket. He has represented SO Bharat in all the three South Asia Unified Cricket Tournament held between 2014 & 2017. he has been an active Athlete leader having participated in this capacity at the SO World Games 2015 , LA USA and the Global Youth Forum Baku, Azerbaijan in 2018.
View the presentation by Dr Reena Kumar HERE
Please continue here for the Questions and Sample answers during this session
On 4 May 2020, the webinar was led by Mr Dipak Natali, President & Managing Director, Special Olympics Asia Pacific Region. He addressed the importance of Inclusion of Persons with Intellectual Disabilities.
While providing direct support to Special Olympics’ largest Program, Special Olympics Bharat, Dipak has worked with the Asia Pacific region’s 35 Programs in areas of leadership development, coach development, competition delivery, fundraising and communications. Dipak has a broad history with NGOs having worked for the UK’s largest disability charity Scope, Prince Charles’ youth development organization The Prince’s Trust, and the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts.
His session was followed by a brief talk by Siddhant Nath, Athlete leader and the Administrative & Sports Asst at the SO Bharat National office . Siddhant , 26 yrs , is a colleague at the SO Bharat National Office Delhi since 2014. He participated in the Asia Pacific Regional Games 2013 in Athletics and was a Youth Ambassador at the Special Olympics World Summer Games 2011. He demonstrates exemplary leadership skills as a member of the National Youth Activation Committee
View the presentation by Mr Dipak Natali HERE
Please continue here for the Questions and Sample answers during this session
To address challenges and opportunities for the Special Athletes during the Covid 19 lockdown period Special Olympics Bharat conducted a series of Webinars from 1-6 May 2020 in collaboration with the Sports Authority of India. All six days addressed a different topic presented by experts from specific fields. With an average attendance of over 300 from Bangladesh, Bahrain, India, Pakistan, Nepal, UAE,USA, Singapore & Sri Lanka the Webinars were successful in spreading awareness and enhancing sensitization across a diverse population.
1 May 2020– Intellectual Disability- Dr Amitav Mishra- General Secretary SO Bharat
2 May 2020– Unified Sports- Mr Victor R Vaz – National Sports Director SO Bharat
3 May 2020 – Health-Dr Reena R Kumar – Regional Clinical Adviser- Special Smiles, SOAP
4 May 2020– Inclusion- Mr Dipak Natali – President & Managing Director, SOAP
5 May 2020 – Mental Health – Ms Chitra Shah – Director, Satya Special School, Puducherry (Area Director – SO Bharat Puducherry)
6 May 2020 – Creating Resources for Athletes- Ms Mukta Narain Thind – National Director- Organization Development SO Bharat
Each Session was of approx 45 mins, beginning with a PPT presentation by the Speaker , of about 30 mins, followed by a brief talk by an Athlete Leader sharing his thoughts on the ongoing global pandemic and how he/she keeps himself/herself engaged during this time. The Session concluded with a round of Q & A
On 1 May 2020, the webinar was led by Dr Amitav Mishra who addressed the subject of Intellectual Disability. He has been actively involved in clinical, teaching and research activities in the area of disability management and education since 1990. He is currently working as Professor at Indira Gandhi National Open University, New Delhi. Dr. Mishra graduated in the subject of mental retardation (BMR) with a gold medal from the National Institute for the Mentally Handicapped (Osmania University, Hyderabad)
His session was followed by an inspirational viewpoint of Sahil Singh.
Sahil , 23 yrs , with Downs Syndrome, is a member of the SO Bharat National Athlete Input Council from Lucknow UP. He was a Self-Advocate at the World Down Syndrome Day 2020 virtual event held in Geneva on the theme ‘We Decide’ on 20th March 2020 by the Down Syndrome International, as part of the 23rd session of the UN committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
View the presentation by Dr Amitav Mishra HERE
Please continue here for the Questions and Sample answers during this session
On 2 May 2020, the webinar was led by Mr Victor R Vaz, National Sports Director of SO Bharat. He addressed the subject of Unified Sports.
Mr Vaz has been a key figure in developing the Program as a National Federation and spreading it to across 31 states/UTs of the country. Having been a State level sportsman, his experience in the field of sports goes back a long way. Along with being awarded by the Department of social welfare, Govt. of Goa for the outstanding work towards development of sports for the disabled he has also received the Man of the year Award in 2004, the Sports Association of Journalist Award and the Sweekar Award.
His session was followed by a brief talk by Niren Patel, Athlete leader from Gujarat
Niren Patel , 32 yrs, is an Assistant Coach from Gujarat and a Silver Medalist in Table Tennis at the SOAP Regional Games held in Australia in 2013. He is a Floor Hockey player as well and an active member of the National Athlete Input Council.
View the presentation by Mr Victor R Vaz HERE
Please continue here for the Questions and Sample answers during this session
On 3 May 2020, the webinar was led by Dr Reena R Kumar, Regional Clinical Adviser Special Smiles, Special Olympics Asia Pacific Region. She addressed the subject of Health Issues and Challenges from the perspective of Persons with Intellectual and Development Disabilities
Dr Reena is the Secretary, International Association of Disability & Oral Health, India Chapter. She is the National Coordinator IDA for Special Care Dentistry & the Faculty Adviser of the American Academy of Developmental Medicine & Dentistry .She has created year long sustainable access to oral health care for people with ID through DCI & IDA. Recipient of the Golasino Health Leadership Award from Special Olympics Asia Pacific in 2018 and the AADMD Educational Achievement Award at Chicago in 2016 for Outstanding Leadership & Service. She has extensive work in field of Special Care with emphasis on Sleep Medicine .
Her session was followed by a brief talk by Rithik Hukku, Athlete leader from Rajasthan. Rithik 24 yrs, joined SO Bharat in 2004 after he was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. He is a passionate sportsperson with a keen interest in Cricket. He has represented SO Bharat in all the three South Asia Unified Cricket Tournament held between 2014 & 2017. he has been an active Athlete leader having participated in this capacity at the SO World Games 2015 , LA USA and the Global Youth Forum Baku, Azerbaijan in 2018.
View the presentation by Dr Reena Kumar HERE
Please continue here for the Questions and Sample answers during this session
On 4 May 2020, the webinar was led by Mr Dipak Natali, President & Managing Director, Special Olympics Asia Pacific Region. He addressed the importance of Inclusion of Persons with Intellectual Disabilities.
While providing direct support to Special Olympics’ largest Program, Special Olympics Bharat, Dipak has worked with the Asia Pacific region’s 35 Programs in areas of leadership development, coach development, competition delivery, fundraising and communications. Dipak has a broad history with NGOs having worked for the UK’s largest disability charity Scope, Prince Charles’ youth development organization The Prince’s Trust, and the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts.
His session was followed by a brief talk by Siddhant Nath, Athlete leader and the Administrative & Sports Asst at the SO Bharat National office . Siddhant , 26 yrs , is a colleague at the SO Bharat National Office Delhi since 2014. He participated in the Asia Pacific Regional Games 2013 in Athletics and was a Youth Ambassador at the Special Olympics World Summer Games 2011. He demonstrates exemplary leadership skills as a member of the National Youth Activation Committee
View the presentation by Mr Dipak Natali HERE
Please continue here for the Questions and Sample answers during this session
On 5May 2020, the webinar was led by Ms Chitra Shah, Founder Director of Satya Special School, Puducherry and Area Director- SO Bharat – Puducherry. She addressed the challenges & stress experienced during a crisis situation and ways of circumventing it
Chitra Shah is MSW and a Gold medalist from the Madras school of Social work, Chitra is passionate about changing lives of the people with disabilities (PWDs). With over 20 years of experience in the field of disability her vision to create awareness and change in the community to ensure inclusion of the excluded can be seen in action at Satya Special School and in her work. She is the Founder Director of Satya Special School which caters to over 950 CWSNs in Puducherry.
She is also the Area Director for Special Olympics Bharath, Puducherry and is a part of various government committees both nationally and in the Union Territory of Puducherry. She has won many awards nationally and at a state level, over the past few years. Her research interest documents integral aspects of lives of persons with Intellectual disabilities
Her session was followed by a brief talk by Anil S, Athlete leader from Puducherry . “Sports is not about winning or losing, it is about participation; that is where its actual power lies”. It is not a surprise that Anil from Puducherry, is one of the Athlete leaders who has been very articulate and active since November 2017. Having begun his sports journey with assisted walk, he has participated in Bocce, Softball and Table Tennis since he joined SO Bharat in 2006
View the presentation by Ms Chitra Shah HERE
Please continue here for the Questions and Sample answers during this session
On 6 May 2020, the webinar was led by Ms Mukta Narain Thind, National Director- Organization Development, SO Bharat. She conducted a poll to understand the popular digital platforms to explore their utilization for maximum reach. Various available resources were presented to the viewers that could be utilized during the lockdown period and even later
Ms Mukta Narain Thind is the key strategic planner for all the initiatives undertaken by Special Olympics Bharat such as implementing the New Scheme for People With Disabilities, launched by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. Project Unify and Unified Sports are few more key programs falling under her spectrum of activities. She has been successful in designing pragmatic plans to upgrade skills and expertise of multiple stakeholders of the National Program.
Her session was followed by a brief talk by Deepanshu Nath, Athlete leader from Delhi . Deepanshu Nath, 17 yrs, is an Athlete leader from SO Bharat Delhi & an active Youth leader having partially anchored his first event in January this year alongside his Unified Partner. He has participated in Bocce and Roller Skating and also has participated in Figure Skating at the National level in February 2019. He was felicitated with the ‘Student of the Year’ Award in his school- MBCN ( Mata Bhagwanti Chaddha Niketan) at the Annual Day 2020.
View the presentation by Ms Mukta Narain Thind HERE
Please continue here for the Questions and Sample answers during this session