Nothing is impossible for disabled former soldier (Dec 3 is World Disability Day)
December 3rd, 2009 - 12:22 pm ICT by IANS ( 1 comment )
By Ritu Sharma
New Delhi, Dec 3 (IANS) Prabhajit Singh left the comfort of his home in Ambala, Haryana on Jan 19 to cycle across India alone. Sounds easy except that the former Indian Army soldier lost his left hand and foot in a train accident.
Singh, 41, set out on his mission to tell people that “Nothing was impossible” after the ghastly terrorist attack on Mumbai last year.
“As a former soldier I felt deeply hurt by the Mumbai terror attack. It could have been averted if the general people were better informed and had the will power. That is when I resigned from my current job and set out on my mission,” Singh told IANS here.
Singh joined the Indian Army in 1984. He was part of the Jammu and Kashmir Rifles and fought militants but lost the job on medical grounds after a prolonged illness. His tryst with ill-fate did not stop there as he lost his left limbs in a train accident in 1990.
But the accident did not break Singh’s will.
“When I told my wife about my decision she opposed it straightaway. The prospect of me cycling alone through disturbed areas scared her. But I had taken the decision and set off on my mission on my cycle with only Rs.10,000 in my pocket,” Singh said.
The only modification he made was that his cycle did not have a left brake. It took Singh 170 days to cover a distance of 17,560 km across the country.
“On my way I stopped over at different army cantonments and police stations. I also met many civilians and everybody said they would pray for the completion of my mission. I guess that is my biggest victory when all the Indians unite and think in the same manner,” said Singh.
“I travelled through insurgency hit areas of Manipur and Nagaland, came across insurgents but was never harmed. In fact my joy knew no bounds when I was cycling through Udhampur, where I once fought militants,” Singh said recalling his experience.
Singh is in Delhi to seek an appointment with Indian Army chief General Deepak Kapoor. President Pratibha Patil has also expressed her wish to meet Singh.
As the world celebrates Disability Day on Dec 3, Singh wearing a blue T-shirt and trouser and an Indian Army cap said: “It is all in the mind. My wife is also disabled but nothing has stopped us from progressing in life. My sole message is ‘Nothing is Impossible’.”
In the same breath he added: “I would like my five-year-old daughter to also join the army.”
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Tags: army soldier, civilians, haryana, ill fate, indian army, insurgents, jammu and kashmir, jan 19, kashmir, manipur, medical grounds, nagaland, police stations, rifles, ritu sharma, terror attack, terrorist attack, train accident, tryst, udhampur
December 3rd, 2009 at 1:40 pm
Dear Editor,
Today is “world disability day”.i wnt to share a small incident involving one widow of Veer chakra(died as connel)and disabled soldier from BSF.We were travelling together in train and to my surprise the disbled jawan was medically boarded out from service(injury in militant operation in srinagar)surviving on only pensions minus any ex-gratia and widow whose husband died due to injury complication affected in militant operation.both of them require the attention of the nation and to my surprise the widow of connel can keep the house for 2yrs from the date of the husband while BSF PERSONAL even can’t the govt residence for 3 months.I came back and to my surprise the IFS officer’s who died in Kabul embessy bombing in 2008 was allowed to keep the house till normally the officer would have supernauted.It is astonising that there is an examble of two suffrers who fought for the country and another who served and mean time lost his life(i admire the govt outlook for IFS Officer)got diffrent treatment.my question to the govt is as follows:
q.1.why can’t govt provide residence for the next of kin of deceased and disabled &invalided from service?
q.2.why central govt miserably failed to provide habitat for militant affected central govt police personalls/Defence while in same situation Mumbai police has provided the same?
q.3.Is media waiting for a story where they can get breaking story where the Estate goons will embark in any disabled /deceased soldiers house and threw the belongings and familly out in cold?
q.4.why govt go selective affirmative actions(remember sonia gandhi after Rajiv Gandhi assasination,IFS officer late sh.V.Rao etc)but don’t have a plan for settlement for the affected personals and their familly.
q.5.Is govt not bothered by the fact that the personnals affected by fighting militiant action would have survived if they would have shy away from the job and got all promotions and the secured govt job thus not facing the warth now?
q.6.why media is shy in projecting the problems of disabled personnals affected in militant actions?
q.7.why can’t govt provide secured govt job to the wife of disabled soldiers as per their qualification and thus allow them to continue the residence where they are staying?
q.8.As per disablity act all govt servants are entitled for 3% of quata of total vacancy while the armed forces as taken exemtion from this act.Now what affirmative solution govt can provide for the trade off apart from pensions which is in no way justice at inflammatory economics?
q.9.Is govt taken any cue from USA,EUROPEAN UNION ,NATO etc ;that how they tackle similar problems?
q.10.How media will react if a disabled soldiers familly is thrown out of his/her house in cold winter by goons of Director of Estates when it is a known fact that the dreaded militant AJMAL KASAB had consumed 35 lakhs and still ticking?
q.11.why media is reactive and not proactive to highlight the issues of disabled soldiers/deceased while fighting militancy whereas there are allegation from senior police officer that 03 senior police officers shied from taking the responsibility still surviving and ready for next promotions?
I request you that issue requires urgent attention otherwise there will be dearth of brave soldiers to fight for the nation as there exist of officers in Indian Army/Airfore/Navy