16-year-old golfer Ranveer Singh Saini, who won a gold at the Special Olympics World Games in Los Angeles in 2015, receives the Bheem award on Sunday by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports for his outstanding performance and achievement in the sport. Ranveer is currently studying at the Scottish High International School in Gurgaon and suffering from Autism. He has one younger and one older sibling and he was introduced to the game of golf at the age of nine. His mother Bakhtawar Saini describes his love for the game as his ‘biggest obsession’ and that it has helped reduce the symptoms of autism in him. She said, “Golf requires focus and patience, which were skills that he, as an autistic child, lacked. The sport changed this and also gave him greater confidence. As a result, he is a lot more comfortable around people now.” She continued to talk about his passion for Golf and the way he manages his studies and said, “He somehow manages to handle the modified curriculum taught to him at school, but we encourage him to focus more on golf because, with autism, subjects like physics and chemistry, are harder for him. Golf is both his strength and passion”

You may also want to watch-

According to a report in The Indian Express, Ranveer was diagnosed with autism just a month before his second birthday and he was termed as a ‘high functioning autistic child.’ His parents told the media that due to the neurological disorder that impairs social interaction, Ranveer had no friends until the age of nine and it was then, that his parents decided to introduce him to golf. Ranveer’s father Kartikay Saini is the chairman of the Scottish High International School and he indulged in golf as a hobby. Ranveer was enrolled for golf lessons at the DLF Golf and Country Club with Anitya Chand who is a National Golf Academy of India certified teaching professional.

In an interview with the Indian Express, Chand said, “I had never taught a child with special needs before this, and the two of us found it difficult to even communicate initially. He spent a lot of his early lessons just looking at birds and peacocks, with little idea of the lesson.” He developed a connection with Chand after a one year of the lesson. Ranveer participated and won two gold medals at the Special Olympics Golf Masters in Macau and then one gold medal again at the games in Los Angeles.