Special Olympics Summer Games 2019, Player Profile: Sushantho Bose

Always wearing a smile and speaking courteously is how Sushantho Bose, 23 years, appears to be.

His IQ was assessed only two years back which put to rest speculation on his remote memory and inability to make simple calculations. He was assessed with an IQ of 58 with mild to moderate intellectual challenges.

Belonging to a middle class broken home, living with his grandparents in Bangalore, and his mother earning a living in Bahrain silenced him, gradually driving him towards unacceptable habits.

That was his solution to rejection which he faced multiple times through his childhood from a variety of schools.

At the age of 18 he worked long hours at a Dental Laboratory in Hyderabad. His mother attempted to use this as a solution to keep him occupied, but this too, did not help.

In February 2017 he travelled back to Bangalore to his grandparents and was introduced to the Saadhya Special School, Ballari, through the net.

It is here that he was introduced to the Special Olympics program and was placed under the joint mentorship of the International power lifting Coach Dayanand and Ms Arathi KT, Vice President, SO Bharat- Karnataka, who is also the founder of the Saadhya Special School which has a strength of 78 including 13 residents

Sushantho is a resident here. He showed an inclination towards Athletics, Basketball and Powerlifting. For the World Summer Games 2019 he has been selected in Powerlifting.

Sushantho visits the gym daily for two hours in the morning and evening. In a Powerlifting event held in Mumbai he competed with 250 mainstream power lifters, securing a third position for himself.

While upgrading his sporting skills the Centre is also nurturing his natural ability of communications. He speaks English, Hindi and to an extent, Tamil and Kannada. He is also an Athlete leader of the state

His participation in the Special Olympics sporting events gained him visibility while strengthening his abilities and bringing in discipline and structure.

He is currently employed with Evolve Back Luxury Resort, Kamalapur, Hampi where he will be, eventually, entitled for all pays and perks as per Labour Law, once he has completed the probation period.

In a letter by Mr Shivakumar, his care taker, to ‘all the parents' said,

“ There was a time when Sushanto gave in to bad habits. But today he is trained enough to compete alongside mainstream players too. Special Olympics and Saadhya Trust added control to his life”.

Shivakumar is a Dental Hygienist at the Directorate of Health and social welfare, Ministry of Interior, Kingdom of Bahrain

“Special Olympics played a significant role in securing him this job. I told his employers about his participation and selection as a probable in the World Games 2019. This noticeably impressed them. I also had to be candid about his past as much as I knew, to ensure that he was made to work in the appropriate areas. I am hopeful that with his naturally pleasing personality and now a regimen to follow, he should be able to work here. ”- said Arathi KT