Today, December 3rd
is recognized world over as the International Day of People with disabilities
and was initiated by the UN to promote the rights and well being of these people
in all spheres of society and development, and to increase awareness of the
situation in every aspect of political, social, economic and cultural life.
I was very much unaware of
this prior to my accident and in the last few years have come to observe it
myself and have had the opportunity to interact with many others, with all
kinds of disabilities. These are people who have not let their disability get
the better of them and have chosen to shine, each in their own way.
This year, I got to be a part
of a campaign by a new NGO, called Invoke Foundation started by Sagar
Gowda, an upcoming artist who had a ghastly accident and injured his spine and
is now on the wheelchair. But that didn’t stop him from working ardently on
building a platform to recognize others who have faced a similar plight like
him. Through this foundation, he intends to showcase to the world the many
achievers who have chosen to look beyond their disability and opted to continue
pursuing their interests and had worked a way around to handle their
disability. They had their first mega
event, a calendar photo shoot of the many “Challengers” as they would like to
call the participants.
Each of the participants there
had unique but very inspiring stories. I will not burst the bubble and give
away the details. The upcoming calendar of Invoke Foundation will tell
you their stories. Follow the page as it will be inspiring for sure!!
But I would just share some
basic info, for I believe, this will definitely want you to know more about
them! The participants selected by the Invoke Foundation for their inaugural
shoot were:
·
Ramitha someone with a
neuro-disability but chooses to dance oh-so-gracefully with her crutches!
·
Sagar and Ashwini,
siblings with brittle bone disease but are actively employed in the biggies of
the Corporate world and are also RJs!
·
Srinivas a body builder,
who didn’t let Polio stop him from achieving laurels in the gymnasts’ world
·
Shilpa, someone who was
born with an irregular spine but didn’t stop her from chasing many a dream
·
Ghousiya Taj someone with
polio but that didn’t stop her from becoming a model, a singer and a wheelchair
basketball player
·
Sharath Gayakwad who was born with a congenital deformity but that didn’t stop him from
swimming his way to the Arjuna Award!
·
Shalini Saraswathi who lost all her limbs to a rare infection but didn’t stop her from
being a Blade Runner running in many marathons!
·
Jayanth who is someone
with Down Syndrome but that hasn’t got his spirits down and didn’t stop him from becoming a
dancer!!
·
Jagan a quadriplegic
who didn’t let his spine injury come in the way of his interest of becoming a
fashion show organizer
·
Manjunath who has gone
from Bangalore to London on his bike and doesn’t want to let the accident which
took way one of his legs, stop him from going around the entire world on his
bike!
Having met all of them, I
realize that the human spirit can do wonders. If these people had not suffered
from their ailments, would they have gone on to achieve what they have achieved
now? And if they had just succumbed to their handicaps and to the pressures
that come along with it, would they have inspired us the way they have now? It
is said that you don’t know how strong you are until being strong is the only
option you have. These people have done that and show what believing in oneself
can do. Having a purpose and pushing themselves to get there is what has made
them stand tall!
There is so much to learn from
these people and many more like them who are out there. One main takeaway is to
never let the adversity get the better of us. We ought to make the most of what
we have and work towards what we want. Sure things get difficult and seem
impossible at times. But out of adversity comes opportunity! The hardships that
one face, often prepare them for extraordinary lives!! All we need to do is
believe. And push ourselves to achieve what we believe in!! And importantly be
thankful for our families. No matter what kind of an adversity befalls us, we
could not and would not bounce back, if not for our families. Despite the
influence that our impairments have on them, they continue to be by our side,
telling us time and again that even if we were to fall, they are there to hold
us. If our support system is not strong, regardless of the kind of will power
we might have, things would not be the same.
One of the participants said
today-“Don’t let people look at your disability. Show them your ability”!!!
Had someone told me something like this a few years ago, I perhaps would have
thought that it was just some baloney and just some general gyan. But today, I
could relate to every word uttered by all of them. I too am sailing in the boat
that they had once sailed in. I only hope that I can make my life at least half
as meaningful and successful as theirs’!
It is people like them, who
remind me that it is wrong to give up on aspirations. No matter how difficult
it may seem, we ought to try and make these second opportunities in life count
and go behind what we want in life!!
Looking forward to more of
such platforms for interaction and more of such inspiration!!
https://fb.watch/28k3z5Jmwq/
