Aditya Mehta Foundation - Amala and Shilpa Reddy presents Sports Gear to Para-Athletes

Aditya Mehta takes on the onerous task to support his fellow para-atheletes through Aditya Mehta Foundation!

Popular para-cyclist Aditya Mehta supports five para-athletes with sports gears, accessories & prosthetic limbs

Hyderabad, April 27th, 2015: Aditya Mehta Foundation (AMF) - a brain child of India’s popular para-cyclist Aditya Mehta, is taking forward a maiden initiative in the field of para sports in India, by aiding five more para-athletes from across the country with sports gear, accessories and prosthetic limbs. He is also initiating training camps for para-athletes in Cycling, Swimming, Cricket and Badminton. AMF had supported three para-athletes last year in the month of October.

Animal rights activist & philanthropist Mrs Amala Akkineni and Model & Fashion designer Ms Shilpa Reddy presented these sports gear, accessories and prosthetic limbs worth Rs 4.5 lakhs on behalf of AMF, to five established and promising para athletes. Aditya Mehta, the inspiration for para-athletes in the country, was present on the occasion.

The para athletes who received the support on the occasion included Dharmana Shanmukha Rao, a below knee amputee & para cyclist; Bholanath Dalui, an above knee amputee & para-swimmer who has participated in several national tournaments and represented India in International competitions, he won 2 Gold and a Bronze medal at the Belgium Paralympic Championship, Belgium 2004; Girish Sharma, a para-badminton player & a gold medalist at Asian Paralympics Cup, participated in VSpanish Para-Badminton International 2015, stood 2nd in the Men's Doubles event at the Israel Open Disabled Badminton International Championship at Jerusalem, Israel, he won laurels at several international competitions; Rakesh Banik, an above knee amputee & para-cyclist and Harshit Mundra, a para cyclist.

Another major initiative of AMF is the starting of AMF Training Camps for para-athletes in Cycling, Swimming, Cricket and Badminton from this year onwards. Besides Aditya Mehta himself, who will train aspiring para-athletes in cycling; senior para-athletes Bholanath Dalui and Srinivas Naidu will train amputees for swimming and Girish Sharma will train amputees in badminton. AMF CAMP 2015 is starting this month - April 2015, with 3 para amputees Dharmana Shanmukha Rao from Hyderabad, Rakesh Banik from Assam and Harshit from Pune. Their lodging and basic requirements is taken care of by AMF. AMF will conduct such camps at regular intervals of two months, at Hyderabad.

Aditya Mehta Foundation launched with the noble intention of aiding fellow para-athletes, has been working tirelessly since its inception to identify and support the needy Indian para athletes with financial and moral support. As part of this initiative the foundation has supported eight para athletes from different parts of India, till date.

Absolute apathy towards para-athletes from corporates, Governments, NGOs, individual philanthropists etc., moved me and spurred me to build awareness about my fellow para-athletes' special needs and launch this foundation to accomplish the task, says Aditya Mehta.

Speaking on the occasion Amala Akkineni said, several of us with both the legs intact don’t undertake such adventurous and treacherous rides, while he not only set out but completed them successfully. He is a true inspiration to all of us. His noble task of setting up Aditya Mehta Foundation to support fellow para-athletes is praise worthy.

Aditya Mehta has been undertaking arduous bicycle rides with the sole objective of raising awareness and funds for para sports in India. The funds for the equipment donated today were raised by Aditya Mehta during his two adventurous trips from Kashmir to Kanyakumari and from Manali to Khardungla.