Rahul Dravid appreciated real courage in life displayed by a few special Indians under difficult circumstances. “Courage is not what we do in cricket,” began the former India captain, known for gutsy batting high up in the order. “Courage is about swimming with the sharks,” he said, referring to the feat of long-distance swimmers Taranath Shenoy and Rajaram Ghag who overcame disability to break new ground in sea swimming.

“Courage is about running away from home as a young boy, chased by a mob and being forced to stay away from home and parents and becoming an achiever,” said Dravid, referring to paraplegic sportsperson

Murlikant Petkar, winner of freestyle swimming gold for India at 1972 Paralympics in Heidelberg, 1982 Asian Para Games.

The Maharashtra athlete was a champion boxer in the Indian Army till the 1971 war with Pakistan when his unit came under enemy fire in the Sialkot sector and turned a paraplegic at 18 after suffering serious injuries. He still carries a bullet in his spine.

Padmashri awardee Shenoy is a deaf-mute and had vision problems, swam the English Channel both ways in 1985 and survived shark bites on other attempts. Ghag was born with legs joined, after multiple operations learnt to walk, went on to learn long-distance swimming and crossed the English Channel two years later.

Ghag, Shenoy and Petkar are three of 10 sportspersons with physical disabilities who became champions, each one life story is featured in a book titled ‘Courage Beyond Compare’ by former badminton international, coach and commentator Sanjay Sharma. Dravid, cricket’s living legends, was humbled after reading about these extraordinary feats across various sports.

Other athletes featured are deaf-mute shuttler Rajeev Bagga, power lifter Farman Basha, wheelchair racer Malathi Holla, one-armed javelin thrower Devendra Jhajhuria, disabled athlete Satyprakash Tiwari, wheelchair athlete Nir Bahadur Gurung and the late Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, nicknamed Tiger Pataudi, one of the finest attacking batsmen, cricket captains and fielders of his generation for India. He lost vision in the one eye due to a car accident in England.

Actor Amol Palekar, describing himself as a fan of Tiger Pataudi and follower of Indian sport, pointed out government neglect of disabled sporting achievers as the common link in almost each case. “The government has other things to do. We citizens should come together and do something for these special athletes to express our pride in their amazing achievements,” said the popular actor, revealing himself to be a Pataudi admirer.

Dravid and Palekar felicitated Murlikant Petkar, Taranath Shenoy, Rajaram Ghag and Satyaprakash Tiwari at the Khar Gymkhana, where Rajeev Bagga’s parents received the ceremonial shawl on their son’s behalf. “We able-bodied people complain about missing simple things in life. These amazing people should be an inspiration for us for their courage,” said the former. ‘Courage Beyond Compare’ is brought out by Rupa Publications.