To bring visually impaired and specially-abled children into the mainstream of sports, the Assam Blind and Para Judo Association has launched its fourth judo training centre in Assam. The new centre has started at Srimanta Sankar Mission Blind School in Nagaon.
Previously, the association had opened two centres in Guwahati and one in Moran. On the opening day in Nagaon, a total of 34 students — 21 boys and 13 girls — took part in the training session.
The initiative is being led by international judo referee Abhijit Das. He emphasized that the purpose of the programme is not only to prepare athletes for competitive judo but also to build confidence, discipline, physical fitness, self-defense skills, and independence among children.
The association’s core mission is to empower visually impaired, hearing-impaired, and physically challenged athletes through judo and fitness training, prepare blind and para judokas for international competitions, increase female participation in self-defense and competitive judo, and ensure equal opportunities for para athletes at district, state, national, and international levels.
Currently, training centres are active at Jyoti Niketan School in Narengi, Guwahati Blind School, and Moran Blind School in Dibrugarh. With the addition of the new centre in Nagaon, the network has expanded further.
India has a long history of judo. Rabindranath Tagore invited Japanese judo masters to Santiniketan to teach the sport. Jinnosuke Sano taught from 1905 to 1908, followed by Shinzo Takagaki from 1929. Munawar Anzar Ali Siddiqui is regarded as a pioneer of blind and para judo in India, while Banibrata Das introduced judo in Assam in 1986.
Assam’s para judokas have also achieved success at the national level. Vishal Vaishya, Himakshi Devi, and Rahul Das participated in the 14th National Para Judo Championship held in Sriganganagar, Rajasthan, from December 19–23, 2025. Himakshi Devi won gold in the Youth Girls under-46 kg category and silver in the Junior Girls under-44 kg category, along with the ‘Best Judoka’ award.
At the grassroots level, several individuals have played key roles in promoting blind and para judo, with international referee Abhijit Das being particularly notable. He has worked to instill confidence and interest in sports among specially-abled children. Abhijit, along with three other Indian international referees, was invited to meet President Droupadi Murmu, where they discussed the future of judo in India and its importance for women and specially-abled children. The President encouraged expanding judo training for visually impaired students in Assam, which inspired Abhijit to establish a separate organization dedicated to empowering specially-abled athletes.
Speaking about the new centre, Abhijit said: “With the launch in Nagaon, our goal is to bring more visually impaired and specially-abled children into organized sports and create opportunities for them to compete at higher levels.”
