People of Value

Pragya Ghildial

A careless swerve by a car at Laxmi Nagar one early morning in 2004 changed 22-year-old Pragya Ghildial’s life forever. The yoga instructor was dragged under the car for about 10 feet before the driver realized “something was under the wheels”.

What followed were 26 days of post traumatic shock, anxiety, flashbacks, erratic bowel movements, hypertension, and two major surgeries to repair the spinal cord. In the end, Ghildial was left to deal with complete paralysis below the waist, and a wheelchair for company. The accident also spelt the end for her dream of starting a yoga studio in the United States.

Three years down the line, Ghildial is back in charge of her life as a peer counselor and part time yoga instructor at the Indian Spinal Injuries Centre (ISIC).

Thirty-odd paralytic patients, a majority of them road accident victims, are a part of ISIC’s five-month-old programme, meant to rebuild lives through counseling and vocational training. At the Centre Ghildial rolls in and out of rows of patients at the physiotherapy hall with a smile.

“I teach meditation and pranayam (breathing exercises) to patients here,” she says. “Yoga is still my passion first I used my whole body for it; now half my body.”

At the group counseling session, rehab psychologist Dr Divya Parashar says, Accident victims with permanent spinal cord injuries do not feel depressed initially. In fact, they expect to recover fast. Depression sinks in later, with realization that they cannot even twitch their little toe.”

Parashar says the institute decided to start counseling after dealing with the emotional trauma of patients during physiotherapy sessions.

She says in the group session accident victims give vent to their exasperation like ‘why did I have to drive on that day?’, or why did I drink and drive?’ Bur Parashar views such posers as a sign of coming to terms with reality.

Take the case of Basant (name changed), a Business Administration student and college topper whose life turned turtle after motorbike accident early this year left him paralytic. He would sit aloof for hours, until Parashar decided on a one-on-one counseling session. “He was too preoccupied with his injury,” Parashar says. “I steered the session towards a more solution-focused interaction. Now, he is the first one to arrive, and is also planning to appear for the CAT exams.”

Parashar says counseling sessions range from informing patients about various disabled employment schemes to helping with CVs, and discussing “practical point of life” like sexuality. “in private sessions we mostly young patients asking whether they can ever enjoy a normal sex life,” Parashar says. “We tell them they can.”

Source: Crash left her paralytic, now ‘I use half my body to teach yoga’ Indian Express, Daily, New Delhi, 5 July 2007.

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Syed Sallauddin Pasha

In a modest orange kurta and blue jeans, he works with the sound and light technicians, giving a final touch to the set design just an hour before the show. Amidst all the pre-show chaos, he maintains his composure and greets everyone entering through the auditorium door with a smile. His determination for his cause is palpable in his very presence. Meet Syed Sallauddin Pasha.

For the past 25 years, Pasha has been imparting to children and young adults with disabilities all across the globe. He founded Ability Unlimited, India’s first therapeutic dance theatre for the disabled that financially self-sustains through its performances.

Pasha, who comes from a family of healers, has a background in medicine and is a professional dancer, but an incident at a family wedding changed his attitude towards disability and shaped his life as it stands today.

“I noticed that a disabled child was locked in the back room because the family did not want to be embarrassed because of his presence. It really touched me,” he says.

Pasha has since then dedicated his life to the cause of people with disability, giving them confidence and inspiration through his work. “These people have a lot of ‘don’ts’ in their lives. I am trying to bring out their abilities by making them believe in themselves,” says Pasha. He adds that people with disability have a lot of potential, but the unavailability of a barrier-free environment in most Indian cities hinders them from succeeding.

He attributes social narrow mindedness to such restrictions, but is confident that his efforts are contributing positively towards raising awareness. “People are amazed after watching the show. It is because the show and the performances are beyond the imagination of everyday people that is limited to Bollywood and Hollywood films,” he points out.

With successful past performances in countries such as Somalia, Russia, Finland, and the UK, Pasha has a positive outlook for the future. He hopes to continue raising awareness through his work, and to continue changing the attitude of society towards people with disabilities.

Source: Able crusader, The Hindustan Times, Daily, New Delhi, 7-Jul-2007.

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