Today, where most of the world is caught up in the number of medals one gets in sports or exams, some stories stand apart, not because of medals or records, but because they remind us what human spirit looks like when it refuses to quit. These are stories of quiet miracles of individuals who, against odds that most of us can barely imagine, rise not only to survive but to inspire.
Miracles don’t always come with popularity or with a huge round of applause. Sometimes, they begin in a small village, with a child learning to adapt to a world without being able to look. Sometimes they grow in the fields of rural India, in classrooms built on kindness, or on sports grounds, telling more about determination than applause. One such story is of Vishnu Vaghela ’s journey, which is no less than a miracle.
Vishnu lost his eyesight as a baby
Vishnu Vaghela was raised in a humble farming family in Vada village, Gujarat, as the eldest of six siblings. As a baby, his vision began to fade. “I was sitting in my grandmother’s lap when my eyes suddenly turned white,” he shares. The doctors said a nerve was damaged,” quotes Better India.
By Class 4, he had completely lost his sight. While his parents tried everything to restore it, young Vishnu made a brave decision. “I said, I’ll live life as a visually impaired person — and I’ll make the best of it.”
His life took a turn when he joined Mamta Mandir, a school for the blind in Palanpur. Later, he moved to the Blind People’s Association (BPA) in Ahmedabad, where he discovered his passion for sports and learned vital life skills, including computers and Japanese massage techniques. But it was football that truly lit the spark.
He began as a cricket player
Initially, he was a blind cricket player, even the vice-captain of Gujarat’s team, but then he shifted focus entirely to football in 2018. “Whatever I am today is because of BPA,” he says.
Vishnu now plays as a defender for the Indian national blind football team and as a midfielder for Gujarat’s state team. His flexibility across positions has got him an important role in both lineups. In January 2025, he was awarded Best Player at the BRICS Blind Football Tournament in Moscow. “It was my best performance so far,” Vishnu recalls. “The atmosphere, the weather, the tournament, everything felt right. And pushing Brazil into a shootout was a big achievement.”
His coach compares him to Ronaldo
His coach jokingly compares him to admired players like Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, and Sandesh Jhingan, with whom Vishnu remains grounded. “Football can get aggressive… but even when I’m upset, I try not to lose my cool. If someone from the rival team falls, I help him up.”
Now recovering from knee surgery, he mentors younger players at BPA. “It’s not just about giving back. I genuinely enjoy helping others. It gives me happiness.”
With a BA in History and hopes of joining the State Bank of India, Vishnu’s biggest dream remains crystal clear, which is “To grow blind football in India.”
And in every step he takes, whether on the field, in the classroom, or guiding a younger player, he’s proving that vision has very little to do with sight.
Miracles don’t always come with popularity or with a huge round of applause. Sometimes, they begin in a small village, with a child learning to adapt to a world without being able to look. Sometimes they grow in the fields of rural India, in classrooms built on kindness, or on sports grounds, telling more about determination than applause. One such story is of Vishnu Vaghela ’s journey, which is no less than a miracle.
Vishnu lost his eyesight as a baby
Vishnu Vaghela was raised in a humble farming family in Vada village, Gujarat, as the eldest of six siblings. As a baby, his vision began to fade. “I was sitting in my grandmother’s lap when my eyes suddenly turned white,” he shares. The doctors said a nerve was damaged,” quotes Better India.
By Class 4, he had completely lost his sight. While his parents tried everything to restore it, young Vishnu made a brave decision. “I said, I’ll live life as a visually impaired person — and I’ll make the best of it.”
His life took a turn when he joined Mamta Mandir, a school for the blind in Palanpur. Later, he moved to the Blind People’s Association (BPA) in Ahmedabad, where he discovered his passion for sports and learned vital life skills, including computers and Japanese massage techniques. But it was football that truly lit the spark.
He began as a cricket player
Initially, he was a blind cricket player, even the vice-captain of Gujarat’s team, but then he shifted focus entirely to football in 2018. “Whatever I am today is because of BPA,” he says.
Vishnu now plays as a defender for the Indian national blind football team and as a midfielder for Gujarat’s state team. His flexibility across positions has got him an important role in both lineups. In January 2025, he was awarded Best Player at the BRICS Blind Football Tournament in Moscow. “It was my best performance so far,” Vishnu recalls. “The atmosphere, the weather, the tournament, everything felt right. And pushing Brazil into a shootout was a big achievement.”
https://www.instagram.com/rohanvakta/reel/C6MKHj8oHSK/ https://www.instagram.com/rohanvakta/reel/C6MKHj8oHSK/
His coach compares him to Ronaldo
His coach jokingly compares him to admired players like Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, and Sandesh Jhingan, with whom Vishnu remains grounded. “Football can get aggressive… but even when I’m upset, I try not to lose my cool. If someone from the rival team falls, I help him up.”
Now recovering from knee surgery, he mentors younger players at BPA. “It’s not just about giving back. I genuinely enjoy helping others. It gives me happiness.”
With a BA in History and hopes of joining the State Bank of India, Vishnu’s biggest dream remains crystal clear, which is “To grow blind football in India.”
And in every step he takes, whether on the field, in the classroom, or guiding a younger player, he’s proving that vision has very little to do with sight.
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