Shobha Warrier on a group committed to the disabled in Chennai
When Stephen Hawking was to make a trip to some of India's best-known monuments during his last visit, authorities quickly installed temporary wooden ramps for the renowned wheelchair-bound scientist. Only then could Hawking enjoy the grandeur of the Taj and the Red Fort. But millions of physically disabled Indians are not as lucky.
"Action should be accelerated so that not only VIPs but the entire section of the physically challenged have a better quality of life," says Vasanth Raghuvir. Championing the construction of ramps at all public places through an organisation called Shakthi Foundation, Vasanth has been pursuing this cause for the past decade.
The foundation was her son Velan's tribute to the physically challenged. If not for him, Chennai would not have had the few ramps it does at public places today. Unfortunately, Velan is not alive to witness this change.
"Because of a life, a movement was started and at the cost of a life, a movement was accelerated," says Vasanth.
Diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy in 1989, her son's life changed since that evening when he returned from school complaining of weakness in the legs. In no time, he was unable to stand and collapsed on the floor.
Velan never walked again. But till his death at the age of 19 in May 1998, he tried hard to lead a normal teenager's life. Confined to a wheelchair, he continued with his studies. Later, in college, he insisted on studying science. It was tough for Velan because he had to be carried to school and college, and from various classes to the labs.
But he never stopped loving life. Even when he was suffering, he never stopped thinking about the less privileged. Even when in tremendous pain, he did not forget to smile and asked his mother to wipe her tears away.
The Shakthi Foundation was started to integrate the physically challenged with the society. To make it possible for them to do the simple things that Velan couldn't do, like going to a theatre, hanging out with friends at shopping complexes, watching cricket matches -- a game he loved passionately -- and going to his favourite pizza place without having to be carried there.
"He had to be carried even for a haircut! As a school-going child, he did not mind being carried from the car, but as he grew older, he found it slightly embarrassing to be carried around," remembers his mother.
It was Velan's love for cricket that resulted in a lasting friendship with Indian legspinner Anil Kumble. The association began when Vasantha spotted Rahul Dravid at a bookshop in Bangalore and asked him for an autograph for Velan. Vasanth told him that her cricket-crazy, wheelchair-bound son was a big fan of Anil Kumble. Dravid gave her Kumble's phone number and told her to contact him the next time Velan came to Bangalore.
After an initial introduction over the telephone, Velan was at the Bangalore cricket ground to meet his favourite cricketers and watch the match. Kumble was out of the team then, but still came over to meet him. "I remember the amount of time Kumble spent with Velan pushing his wheelchair and talking to him in his soft voice," says Vasanth.
Velan told Kumble not to lose heart. That he would be back in the team again. The meeting was followed by phone calls and letters. Kumble also attended the foundation's annual fund-raising functions and visited Velan in hospital when he was on a ventilator for six months. Even when Velan was sinking he was cheerful enough to compliment Kumble -- "Your T-shirt is great!" said the sick boy.
Kumble continued to keep in touch after he left for an overseas tour, requesting the family to keep the telephone near Velan's ear because he had lost the ability to talk by then. The cricketer has maintained contact with the family even after Velan passed away.
Looking back, Velan's mother says her son's life would have been markedly different if only people cared for the disabled in India. "When we went abroad, Velan could go anywhere -- to museums, parks, cinema halls -- all these simple pleasures were denied to him and many like him here in India," she says.
"I feel my son's presence everywhere and still see his beautiful smile," says Vasanth. "This is what drives me to work for the physically challenged. Having Velan as my son, living with him, and looking after his day-to-day life was an education for me."
For Vasanth, her son was a divine child -- who had so much to give others when he had so little of himself to give. She says: "Everybody says time heals, but I don't agree. Time makes you aware that you will never see the person again. It is this pain that drives Shakthi Foundation. I don't want any other person to be immobile in this world."
It was Velan's dream to have ramps at all places so that many like him could lead a normal life. He used to tell his mother that his dream was not 'mission impossible' but 'mission possible'. But 'Project Ramp' was realised, at least to a certain extent, only after he passed away.
The first ramp installed in Chennai was at Spencer Plaza by the Mangal Tirth Estate Ltd. Many government departments also came forward to help in this mission. Now there are 32 parking zones for the handicapped in the city. The Southern Railway has a ramp and an exclusive parking slot at Central Station. The Chennai Corporation has sanctioned ramps in all its ten zonal offices.
The foundation is also involved in a hospital in a small village in Tamil Nadu. The Adi Parasakthi Medical and Research Hospital at Melmaruvattur is attached to the famous Adi Parasakthi temple. "The prayers offered at the temple helped us tide over difficult days. The presence of so many youngsters without wheelchairs, callipers and crutches moved Velan. It was at his insistence that we decided to help the poor patients who come to the hospital for treatment," adds Vasantha.
"I want the list of the places that have installed ramps to be endless. If we have a conscience, we as able-bodied citizens can bring about the implementation of the Persons with Disabilities Act soon."
Till that consciousness grips people's mind, the Shakthi Foundation will continue with its mission.
Project Hope
