“I don’t remember walking as I never was able enough for it. I was 11 months old when I was diagnosed with Polio.
I was the only disabled person in my family which brought on a lot of unnecessary comments from people about how it was a sort of sin committed by my family that made me like this. Some even said it was my last life’s karma that affected me.
I never went to primary school because of the same reason. Students would make jokes and laugh at me. Just before I entered my teenage years, my father decided that I had to fight the world and sitting at home won’t help. It was difficult to put me in school then, considering the fact that I didn’t have any basic knowledge.
But we found one who was happy to have me and that’s the beginning of my actual life.
It wasn’t any easier, of course. Students made fun of me — even teachers gave me weird stares. I had locked myself in the bathroom and cried on multiple days. But it was time I overcame it.
My dad told me once that if I can’t be strong and believe in myself, nobody will. He said that people will always have mean things to say. So I gotta do what makes me happy! That simple sentence made me feel empowered. After graduation, I fell in love with my brother’s friend and we got married. That shut a lot of mouths – those that said nobody will ever love me or want to be with me were proven wrong. My in-laws weren’t very happy with their son’s decision. Everybody looked at my legs and never realised that I was more than that!
People’s statements affected us in the beginning. But we fought it together. Our children make our lives even better. I remember when my son came to me and said he wants me to drop him to school because all his friends’ mothers drive them to school. I couldn’t say no to the little one. So I learnt to drive a car!
A few years later, he wanted to join a boarding school. I was against it in the beginning, but soon I realised that I was stopping him from doing what he wanted. I know what that feels like and I didn’t want him to feel pressured instead of loved. I let him go. It was difficult, but it was the right thing to do. I started to travel a bit and that’s when I came across wheelchair tennis in Europe. I came back to Bengaluru and started to read more about it. I soon bought myself a professional wheelchair for two lakh rupees and trained. Today, I have represented India in many international tournaments. I also just won the women’s doubles in IWTT.
I have worked hard to build my confidence and today, nobody can break it. People’s words don’t matter anymore because I’m more than my disability. Nothing can stop me from living life the way I want.”
@HumansofHyderabad in collaboration with @IndianWheelChairTennisTour supports development of Wheelchair Tennis in India.
Use the following hashtags to know more on how you can help us.
#SameGameSamePassion #IWTT #ITF #CharminarOpen #AdaptedSportsIndia #Passion #WheelchairTennis #AsianGames #Tennis #Eqaulity #Support #Disabilities #Believe #Motivation #Motivation #Fitness #WorldTennis #Paralympics #Inspire #Empower #Educate #Hyderabad #HumansofHyderabad