Hemington James
The bullet that is shot to the target from his pistol amazes people as they go speechless seeing him self-assured of the goal though not able to listen and speak properly. Due to his not giving-up attitude and diligent attempts his fame has been spread across the world.
Prem Madhav Bali, a 14 year old boy, born in Dehradun to the parents of Chandigarh – Skand Bali and Shivani Bali has shone above the barriers of physical helplessness registering his name in many sports and modelling events. Because his father Skand Bali, an educationalist has shifted his base from Hydrabad to Ahmedabad for a special project, this kid is found practising at Khokhara Sports Complex in Ahmedabad everyday morning.
“We were as happy as any parent would be when he was born. However, within 6 months of his birth we could detect that he had hearing imparity and because those kids who have inability to listen, can not speak, so it happened with Prem too,” said Skand Bali, Prem’s father to theombudsmanews.
FBI aspirations
“We got him cochlear implant and then started his speech therapy. As a result he has been able to listen to us and speaks a little but the journey is far to go,” said his mother Shivani and added that, “His aspirations are to join Faderal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and he has been watching such serials and reading such material so that he can groom himself in that dimension”
A different candidate
His coach Hiren Jaiswal has been very keen to training him.
“I have trained many, but, he is a special kid for me. Though difficult to communicate with others, he catches every word and executes properly. He has played at national level and we are preparing him for the greater events to come,” said his coach Hiren Jaiswal.
A proud for the centre
Samir Panchal, who has been heading the Khokhara Sports Complex told theombudsmanews, “There is no barrier for the one who want to achieve something in his life. Prem is one such kid. When we came to knew about his imparity, we were little worried. However, watching him performing all our worries have vanished and we are trying to facilitate him as much as we can.”
“It would be proud moment for us also when he wins at different level and people speak about our centre,” Panchal added.
Sky is the limit
Prem has been a national shooter as he grabbed the Silver medal at a competition held in South Zone this July. Apart from this, he is a state level Horse Rider. He also plays drum very well. He represented and won the World Junior Model International Competition held in Dubai in 2019, pre-Covid. Besides, he is a good swimmer, painter and Mime artist, a dancer and a good cricketer.
What is Cochlear Implant?
A cochlear implant is a small electronic device that electrically stimulates the cochlear nerve (nerve for hearing). The implant has external and internal parts.
The external part sits behind the ear. It picks up sounds with a microphone. It then processes the sound and transmits it to the internal part of the implant.
The internal part is placed under the skin behind the ear during an outpatient surgery. A thin wire and small electrodes lead to the cochlea, which is part of the inner ear. The wire sends signals to the cochlear nerve, which sends sound information to the brain to produce a hearing sensation. Although normal hearing is not restored, with appropriate therapy and practice, the improved hearing experience can mean an increased awareness of sounds in the environment, as well as better communication through easier lip reading and listening. (source: www.hopkinsmedicine.org)