People of Value

Rajinder Johar: A journey just begun!

The doctors’ had declared Rajinder Johar a vegetable thirty years ago. In 1986, when Rajinder was a senior occupational therapist at the King George Medical College in Lucknow, some intruders barged into his house and shot at him. “That very moment I realized that I had lost control on myself,” he said.

Rajinder survived the accident but was paralyzed from neck below. He had lost control over his limbs and the doctors declared him to be 100 per cent disabled.

“After this I shifted to Delhi. For almost two years I had nothing to do. I was getting used to the life of  a disabled. Then I thought of doing something for the disabled community,” says Johar. In 1992 he set up the Family of Disabled popularly known as FOD.

“With my family and a few friends on my side I planned to start a magazine for the disabled.”

That is from where the journey began. Since 1992 FOD has been publishing this magazine known as The VOICE of FOD, dedicated entirely to the disabled. Johar’s disability did not allow him to hold anything between his fingers and thumb, but now he can write for hours together.

“Running a magazine without being able to write was an impossible task. For a long time I kept looking for a writing device, but failed to find one which could solve my purpose. Then my brother designed a pen for me. All that my designer needed was a few inches of bandage, cotton, a compass and a metallic refill. In just 30 minutes and Rs 30 my pen was ready.” Every day from 9.30 in the morning till six in the evening are his work timings. Johar has his pen tied on his wrist. He uses his shoulder joint to move the pen.

Johar has different outlook towards life. Unlike other NGOs his way of working is different. Through the Apna Rozgar Scheme, FOD provided interest free loan to the disabled to set up small businesses.

“People just don’t want counseling or training on how to paint or make bread. There main worry is earning their two square meals. So we try to help them establish small businesses of their choice,” says Preeti Johar, his daughter who looks after the working and administration of FOD.

Several individuals and organizations have appreciated the work of FOD. CAF (Charity Aid Foundation), Art of Living, Punjab National Bank, Trickle Up, a New York based NGO are some of the prominent sponsors of FOD. For Rajinder the journey has just begun.

“This is just a start, I have a long way to go. Though I appear to be lying down all the time. But I certainly I don’t have a laid back attitude,” he says with a laugh.

Source: Bye Handicap, hello freedom. Metro, New Delhi, 6 February 2007.

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Pooja Sharma: Relentless efforts

There is little in Pooja Sharma’s demeanor that gives away the distress of a person who has discovered that the world is very small; so small, it simply doesn’t have the space for her. Not the college she goes to. Not even the garment shop she occasionally drops in to check out the “latest stuff”.

Sharma a disabled girl who dreams of becoming an IAS officer has traveled a long way from her hometown Meerut. She has had to abandon lucrative courses she enrolled herself in on merit, half way. It’s like a dream cut short. Yet, she hasn’t giving up.

Sharma has secured a seat in Symbiosis Law College for LLB last year. However, when she landed in Pune, she realized the institute did not have the requisite facilities for her disability. “Since, I could not stay on the first floor of the hostel; I sought a room on the ground floor. Initially, they promised that they would help me but two weeks later; they told me that they could not accommodate me on the ground floor due to lack of rooms.

Pooja and her family stayed in a hotel in Pune for 20 days, where they ran up a bill of Rs 50,000. She now awaits refund of the Rs 52,000 that the institute owes her admission fees.

Pooja returned to Delhi and enrolled herself in the prestigious Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC) as a B.Com (Hons) student. The college authorities were cooperative and ensured that ramps would be made so that she could move freely. Her classes were moved to the ground floor and a lecturer was assigned to attend to her problems.

However, she did not get what she needed the most: a hostel seat. The SRCC principal P.C. Jain said: “We have three rooms with attached bathrooms that meet the requirement of the disabled. But for this session, all the rooms are already allocated. In the next session, I will accommodate Pooja in one of the rooms. As for building a new room, we do not have the necessary funds”.

Convener of the Disabled Rights Group, Javed Adidi, feels that the college should been equipped to handle disabled students. “The Disability Act was passed 10 years ago. It is high time to ensure that necessary facilities are made available for the disabled.”

The dean of students Welfare, Delhi University responded that necessary instructions had been issued to all the colleges – but that implementation was on the individual prerogative of the principal.

Pooja, then, had no option but to go hostel hunting again. She homed in on one Vidya Jyoti Hostel, near SRCC. It promised to take care of her of Rs 11,000 a month. However, the promise fell flat. After about a month, the hostel keepers become “unsympathetic”. They would tell her that he wheelchair dirtied the floor and the walls. They did not even take care of her when she was sick. So, we took her out,” her father P.K. Sharma said. Sharma is an Engineer with Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited.

Pooja’s father then rented a flat in Ghaziabad. She now stays where with her mother and brother. There’s a driver to drive Pooja to college and back. All this costs her father about Rs 20,000 a month. However, like father, like daughter. They won’t give up.

Fettered

The Rule Book: The Disability Act was passed in 1995, which ensures equal opportunities, protection of rights and full participation of the disabled.

The Real Picture: Not much headway has been made and disability remains a marginal agenda for policy makers.

The Act Stresses: “The removal of architectural barriers form schools, colleges of other institutions imparting vocational and professional training. Take other steps to ensure a barrier free environment in public places, work places, public places, public utilities, schools, colleges and other such institutions.”

Transport: Accessibility is the biggest [problem for the disabled. Its almost like the disabled do not have the right to travel by public transport. Barring two DTC buses no other buses are disabled-friendly. Most trains and coaches are inaccessible to the disabled. Trains are a huge hurdle for the wheel-chair user.

Source: Girl Interrupted. Today, (Mon-Fri.), New Delhi, 30 January 2007.

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