Thriprayar: Refusing to confine their lives to a three-wheeler scooter or wheelchairs, Sadiq and his wife Banu are scripting history in wheelchair basketball.

A native of Kadukappeedika in Thriprayar, Sadiq is the third among four children of Haneefa and Balkis. He lost mobility in his legs at the age of one and a half due to polio.

Fazra Banu, the third among four daughters of Abdul Azeez and Naseema from Koorikancheri Para, was affected by polio at the age of 2. Without blaming fate, both pursued education—Sadiq completed BCom and Banu got a BA.

The couple first met at a wedding, and their friendship blossomed into love and eventually marriage. It was 5 years ago that they began training in wheelchair basketball.

Sadiq says he has been passionate about sports since childhood. He trained at Darshan Club in Mundur, Thrissur under Fr. Solomon, and at the Kripa Centre Special School in Aluva led by Fr. Mathews. He has participated in various district- and state-level championships, and also attended a six-day national training camp in Gwalior, which helped him deepen his understanding of the sport.

In 2023, Banu was part of the Kerala women’s team that secured third place in the national championship. In 2024, Sadiq was a member of the men’s team that won second place in the national wheelchair rugby competition held in Gwalior. They later became a rare differently-abled couple to compete together in South Zone wheelchair basketball, representing state teams of 10 members each.

Both are set to participate in upcoming friendly matches later this month and in a league match in Chennai.

Sadiq recalls that they had to travel and stay at various places for training. While training centers provided equipment, including wheelchairs, free of cost, he notes that they still do not own proper sports wheelchairs.

The couple runs a mobile shop and a travel service business in Thriprayar. They have two children—Seha Anju, a ninth-grade student, and Mohammed Sahyan, who studies in the fourth grade.