Haveri accident: Captain of Karnataka blind women’s football team among the victims

Among the 13 victims of the road accident at Gundenahalli Cross in Haveri district is Manasa S., who led the Karnataka team in the national blind women’s football tournament and won the championship for the state in 2021. She played for the Indian team in the Asia Cup in 2022.

Manasa, 25, is the daughter of Sharangi Rao and Bhagyamma from Emmehatti in Bhadravati taluk of Shivamogga district. She was one of the 17 people who died in the Tempo Traveller accident. Her mother Bhagyamma, 45, also died in the accident.

Manasa was a student of Sharada Andhara Vikasa Kendra in Shivamogga till SSLC. Later, she moved to Bengaluru for further studies.

Mahalakshmi, her elder sister, said, “My sister is visually impaired since birth. She was good in sports and school. She won many trophies and medals and was the first captain of the Karnataka blind women’s football team. She wanted to become an IAS officer. She took coaching classes for the civil services exam.”

Waseem Akram, coach of the Karnataka Blind Football Association, said The Hindu that Manasa was one of the best football players in India. “She came in contact with the federation in 2021 and became the captain of the blind women’s team. That year, the team from Karnataka participated in the national tournament in Chennai for the first time and won the championship. The next year, the team finished second in the tournament in Pune,” he recalls.

She was selected for the team in the Asia Cup. She was one of the top 10 players in India. The coach said Manasa is a good striker and a strong defender.

“She played an international match against Japan in Kochi in 2022,” he said.

Earlier, as a student, she had won many medals in tournaments of the Indian Blind Sports Federation, including gold in shot put, discus and javelin, and received scholarships from the National Federation for the Blind.