From learning to walk to riding a bike

During the early years of my life, the only thing that allowed me to move around were my two hands, which I used for crawling. As I grew, crawling was no longer a viable option as I would sustain injuries. This motivated me to walk with the help of a walker. After that, there was no turning back. Much later, I trained myself to walk with a pair of elbow crutches and, with the help of my family, I began riding a scooter, which is customized for a physically challenged person. This wasn’t easy because I had to earn the trust and confidence of my protective family, which included my adoring and doting mother as well as my generous, yet overprotective older brother.

My First Riding Experience

I was both nervous and excited during my first riding experience, as this was a turning point in my life. On Day 1, I began training with a friend of mine, and I learned the hard way that things are not always as easy as they may seem when I had a minor accident that sprained my wrist, which then delayed my next lesson for about a week. As I was recovering, I searched the net for ways to make my riding experience safe. This included a new way of throttling in which the rider’s index and middle finger are always placed on the brakes when riding.

This technique provides two important benefits:

1. It removes the split-second delay in applying the brakes in an emergency.
2. It helps the rider, especially a beginner, control the bike’s speed.

I also purchased elbow and knee pads online that gave extra protection in addition to the helmet. After resuming training, it took me 7 days to learn how to ride, and I was ready to apply for a permanent license.

Living A Normal Life.

Once I got my permanent riding licence, only a few things prevented me from living my life. For example, I attended coaching classes at a private institution, which helped me clear my senior secondary exam.

I would occasionally go to the movies and treat myself to pizza or whatever. The movie theatre I prefer is "Inox,” which has wheelchair facilities and an exclusive toilet for physically challenged people.

One of the best experiences after learning to ride a scooter was my trip to Rajbagh Beach, a beautiful beach down a mountain in South Goa. However, due to my physical condition, it always seemed impossible.

Honestly, the walk up and down the mountain was beyond exhausting, but the joy of achieving my goal was far greater. I look forward to taking on many such challenges in life.

Rajbagh Beach 2017

Pursuit of education & career

As the years went by, my efforts and will to study increased considerably, and I finally got my first custom-built tricycle in 2006, after which I managed to get myself enrolled in a special school called “Gujarati Samaj Educational Trust for the Handicapped.” It was during this time that not only did I have a social circle, but I also discovered that I wanted to be a special educator and help shape the careers of people with special needs. Honestly, there’s nothing more satisfying in life than being in a profession that allows you to motivate someone via your own life experiences.

In the year 2009, I enrolled myself at the “National Institute of Open Schooling” (NIOS), where I completed my secondary and higher secondary education. I then pursued a bachelor’s degree in Arts through the “Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU).”

The challenges I faced during my pursuit

Throughout my secondary and senior secondary school years, I encountered many obstacles, which were caused not only by my physical disability but also by the fact that I had lost out on a typical school experience during the early years of life.

For example, I was unable to find a home tutor who was familiar with the NIOS syllabus, particularly in subjects like psychology and business studies.  Going to a private institution was also not an option at the time because I had to frequently change my diapers. This left me with no other choice than to study on my own.

Because the exam centre allotted to me was far away from where I lived, we had to hire a private car. This was expensive as we had to pay approximately Rs.2000 each time we travelled. Furthermore, an exam supervisor once tried to persuade me and my mother, who accompanied me every time I went to answer my exam, to pay a bribe in exchange for passing me. Of course, this was unacceptable to me as I intended to earn my qualification regardless of the rank or percentage.

The inability to cope with the syllabus, a lack of assistance, and several shortcomings led to a momentary decision to discontinue my studies. However, I found it hard to live with myself knowing that I had given up on my dream of becoming a special educator. So, after a break of one year, I once again attempted and successfully cleared my secondary exams in 2014. Due to similar circumstances, it took me another 3 years to complete my senior secondary education.

My struggles were far from over, as when I went on to enrol myself for a Bachelor’s degree in Arts course, I was told that unless I opted for BTS (Bachelor in Tourism Science), I would mostly have to study on my own. Refusing to give up, I chose to self-study.

Trying to achieve financial independence

While continuing with my studies, I earned my allowance through several activities like working as a freelance in-house SEO, writing articles for an up-start website, and later, offering internet services to the people in my neighbourhood in return for a small fee. These services include payment of payment bills, mobile recharge, online money transfer, etc.

My Early Childhood Experiences

Despite the physical disability, my life initially felt quite normal as I attended kindergarten at St. Anthony High School. However, that feeling would be short-lived as, due to incontinence, I frequently needed to change my diapers, and this also made it difficult for me to be socially accepted by the other kids in class.

Eventually, the lack of facilities at the time and financial problems led to my parent’s decision that it was best to home-school me. There went my chance of having a normal social upbringing. My father, who worked as a sales representative at a pharmaceutical company, was also a part-time tutor who taught me the basics of math and the English language. I gradually developed an interest in leisure activities like drawing, painting, listening to music, and watching TV. These helped me keep my mind occupied when I didn’t have anyone to play with.

However, I wasn’t always lonely during childhood, as I was fortunate to have the company of my cousins. During the whole year, I always looked forward to summer vacations, where the whole family would come together at our ancestral home for about two months. While my physical limitations prevented me from doing things like playing cricket or going on hunting and fishing trips, I did enjoy playing board and indoor games. Furthermore, the barbeques and family picnics we held will always be one of my favourite childhood memories.

Even though most of us cousins are now adults with full-time jobs and occupations, we try to get together as often as possible to have fun and create new memories.

My Life's Journey

My life’s journey began on December 30, 1988, when I was born with spina bifida meningocele, a life-threatening birth condition.

My parents were advised by the doctor shortly after I was born that I needed immediate surgery to remove a cyst on my spine. The cyst contained cerebrospinal fluid, which would accumulate over time and eventually burst if not surgically removed.

The next day, my parents took me from South Goa to Goa Medical College (GMC), the most prestigious hospital in Goa, India. They were then advised to travel to Mumbai because no doctor could undertake this complex surgery.

My parents had been going to doctors and hospitals since the beginning, but due to various factors, the surgery could not be performed.

According to the doctors, I would either die during surgery or the fluid from the cyst would transfer to my brain, which would result in severe health issues. I also had several health issues like jaundice and diarrhoea, which added to the risk. Thus, my parents decided not to go through with the surgery and left my fate in the hands of God.

For about 9 months, the cyst kept growing in size, and my mother took all the necessary precautions to ensure that the cyst didn’t burst. However, one day, the cyst did burst and an emergency surgery was performed.

Being physically disabled, not only do I use a pair of crutches and a wheelchair to move around at home, but I also have to rely on urinal aids due to a lack of bladder control.