His life has always been about determination and conviction that if you set your mind to it, nothing is impossible. There is an obvious but massive distinction between sight and vision. Despite being born blind, Mahantesh G Kivadasannavar became a visionary, refusing to blink in the face of adversity and today presides over a trust for the disabled and a sports body promoting cricket for the blind.

​

Mahantesh was born into a loving, extended joint family which made sure that lack of sight was no impediment to the young lad’s development as a person. Like all Indian kids his age of that and subsequent generations, Mahantesh was hooked to cricket. The transistor became his best buddy, and not merely because live television had not yet taken deep root in India.