Specially-Abled commentator from Srinagar inspires youth

Story by: Syed Shadab Ali Gillani

Srinagar: This young Kashmiri man is living his dream life and cherishing his talent while overcoming numerous obstacles brought on by his infirmity. Irfan Bhat (32), a person with special needs, hails from Balhama, a small village on the fringes of Srinagar district in Central Kashmir, they lost his ability to walk when he was three years old as a result of a very high fever. But despite this setback, he continues to live his life with grace and courage.

Irfan is working as a commentator after challenging all the social preconceptions about people with exceptional needs. “I began my job as a commentator last year. It was not at all planned, but happened by chance now I am doing well for myself,” says Bhat. He is slowly emerging as a popular name in this domain and in this digital age, where social media is crucial to one’s success, it has also been crucial to his journey. “In addition to doing commentary during matches, I maintain a Facebook page, the ‘Kashmir Sports Voice’ with around 30, 000 followers which have turned out to be a second source of revenue for me. People can watch the live streaming of cricket events on this page,” says the commentator.

Despite this, he acknowledges the struggles during this journey and says, “I completed my post-graduation from the University of Kashmir, but it has been a difficult path. I managed to complete my studies With the support of my family and tried my absolute best to get a government job after that but sadly, failed to get employed,” said Bhat.

Irfan also asserts that specially-abled people, in particular, should put a lot of effort into pursuing their aspirations and goals and when given enough time, these will undoubtedly come true. “I encourage anyone who identifies as ‘specially abled’ to search for opportunities; there is always something out there for us. Never assume that others will come to you and provide you with things. Instead, take the initiative and create possibilities for yourself,” said Bhat.

Irfan considers his father a ‘hero’ and says, “He always encouraged me in following my goals and gave me all the space to develop my skills and become who I am today.” His father, Bashir Ahmed Bhat, a government employee says, “I am employed and can take care of my child, but it was all his hard work that paid off. He worked hard on himself, acquired all his equipment on his own, and today he earns well. He even gives some of it to me as well. As a father, it is gratifying for me.”

“People should always support and allow their children to fly high,” Bashir advised the parents. “My son made me proud as I did my best to support him. We should let our children follow their dreams,” adds Bashir. 

Although, the world of cricket commentary offers a lot of opportunities Irfan feels that all he needs is some professional guidance to learn more about the profession so that he can work at the national and international levels and bring laurels to the JKUT.