HYDERABAD: Even before she was born, scans showed several “bends” in
Vijaya
Deepika Gangapatnam’s bones. Her father says the 13-year-old is like “glass” because of her rare Brittle Bone Disease that led to 45
fractures
. Yet, her life now seems to have more “steel” than “glass” as she turns the tables on fate to become a para TT player.
Vijaya was the youngest to win a medal at the UTT Para Table Tennis National Championship in Indore this March — silver in singles and bronze in doubles.
Vijaya means victory and the bespectacled home-schooled girl from Alwal in Secunderabad was drawn to table tennis because elder brother Vijaytej (20) played tennis and would travel for tournaments. Given her condition, though, her father
Vijay Bhaskar
Raju introduced Vijaya to TT at home.
‘Wish to represent India, win medal at Paralympics‘
She suffered fractures even during delivery as doctors didn’t know she was already suffering from the disease, Bhaskar, a defence accounts auditor, says as he recalls daughter Vijaya’s pre-birth scan that showed feeble bones.
Vijaya suffered most of her fractures while crawling as a toddler. “Her body weight was on her hands. Now, she uses different wheelchairs at home and to play. While changing wheelchairs, she fell a few times and fractured her legs and hands. She slipped many times in the bath and broke her legs,” Bhaskar adds.
It was an ordeal for Vijaya to walk till she turned seven and her fractures led to hip and knee
surgeries
. These affected her movements, requiring her to take help for most day-to-day chores. “We have to take care of her like glass,” Bhaskar says.
Unlike other teens, Vijaya can’t go to school because of her multiple surgeries and risk of further injury. “My parents and brother are very
supportive
. They teach me at home. I plan to write my Class X exams through open school this year or next,” she says.
Mother Aruna recalls that one of Vijaya’s fractures occurred when she fell trying to reach an upper berth in a train. They were travelling to one of Vijaytej’s tennis tournaments. “We carry crepe bandages and painkillers all the time,” Aruna says.
While Vijaytej hit the courts, Vijaya took to table game. In Indore where she took the second spot, she lost only to Bhavina Patel, the silver medallist at the 2020 Paralympics. Vijaya says she now dreams of representing India and winning a medal at the Paralympics.
Bhaskar outlined the challenges. “She is ranked No. 3 in nationals. To compete in Paralympics, she needs to play in international tournaments. Travelling is costly and we are looking for sponsors to achieve her dream,” he says
