We all, at some point in our lives, have come across disabled people. The first feeling evoked in us is that of sympathy. We sigh at their miserable condition, being dependent on others, that we, the well-functioning robots cannot fathom how they bear it. Some of us usually cringe from interacting with them, and this was precisely how I felt. However, I finally dragged myself. Huddled in the car with my three friends, one of them Maria who happens to be visually challenged, we set off for Milestone. The car pulled over to a government building, the part of which was given to Milestone. Piles of pale buildings met our gaze.
As soon as we entered, we were greeted by a lad on wheel chair who had recently come from Lahore. He looked beaming with smiles and quite nattily dressed, wearing chunky rings and below shoulder hair. This was Tayyab Bhai. Quickly, I registered a change in my friend’s attitude who was acting like she has come home. She was no more like the fish out of water that I sometimes feel in her demeanor. The poster on the wall near us read You can’t make the world safe for democracy, unless you make it safe for diversity! I heard the orchestra of sounds from the room and as we were shown in, everyone became quiet and smiled at us. There were five to six people couched on the sofa and some working on computer. Hey Maria, we were supposed to meet disabled people. But, it was like a family sitting together chatting and having the moment of their lives. Maria gave our brief introductions that garnered another row of smiles at us.
The first person I met was Uzma, who had a subtle resemblance with someone I know, but could not really figure out. She had such a serene and hopeful face and elegance in her disposition that I cannot really put in words. She was on the electric wheel chair and clad in pink. She told me she had muscle dystrophy, and on observing our blank reaction, she rhapsodically started explaining it. It is basically a disorder in which the muscles weaken with age and there is no cure for it. Once you have lost the power, you cannot replenish it anyway. Seemingly, the person is normal, but there are major difficulties in mobility. She was ten years old when she got to know about her illness. At that time, she did not know there could be other people having the same disability. Coping with school was really hard for her. She could not carry her bags. But, her father was persistent on having her educated. She used to be dropped off at school quite before the start time, to escape pushing and crowds on the way which might hurt them. In her tender age, she was very shy of her disability. She would wretchedly cry about it, and went into self exclusion from social events, avoiding family gatherings and going out in recess at schools. At weddings, they stayed behind in the car and had their foods while their parents attended it. She told me that she needed an attendant virtually for everything from toileting to combing, and they could not take a step outside the room even without her aid. Later, she went on to do Masters in Computer Sciences and also taught tuition till BSc level. At university, she said that the departments were far off, due to which she used to reach the class late while the rest of the students made on time. Her strength was gradually fading away. She said that the people around her did not accept her condition as disability, rather they thought of it as an illness, due to which they were never provided wheelchairs, which were necessary for her condition- to save from further loss of strength of muscles.
The fear of remarks from society, embarrassment and the almost nil mobility made her feel that her life has come to a blank wall. However, she thanked Allah and her parents for helping her become this person exuding confidence and optimism. But the stimulus was provided by Milestone, to appreciate herself and also to help other’s survive. It was 25th July 2006; she remembered clearly, when milestone came to her life. She respectfully mentioned the name of Shafiqurrehman, the President of Milestone who helped her recover psychologically and explained to her about her disability. She felt there are people who knew what she has to go through, and she could make them understand her experience. By the end, she was again cheerful and related to me how she has become so suave in talking after joining Milestone, whereas she used to be very quiet at her home. She feels now she has found the purpose of her life.
After that, Tayyab Bhai ushered into the room. Maria asked him to talk and initially he sounded a bit hesitant. I asked him about his name and he said Tayyab Bhai, to which I asked if Bhai is the part of his original name, he said yes there should be a stress on it. We all laughed. He had Polio from the age of five and was ridden to permanent wheel chair after having several unsuccessful treatments. He had done ACCA and was doing a job in government as well. One of the remarkable things about him was that he had written a book Dhundle Saaye which was the confutation of Dhundle Chehre written by a renowned author. Currently, he is working on his poetry book. He rapturously told me that he had done everything what people consider normal. He had enjoyed his school, college and university life as a bright student and made lots of friends. He said he had been engaged in this organization for around seven years, initially coming for sports competition. He happily expressed his service in earthquake 2005, acting as Assistant Program manager in Muzaffarabad and Mansehra. He provided wheelchairs, mobile phones, white canes and training for attendants for the disabled people. I asked him about his hobbies and he said he loves reading books which are Islamic and present a different outlook of life. In the end, he passed the recorder to us and started his round of questions which was very humorous.
Finally, we had a group photo and Maria saw us off. I walked out as a different person, putting my troubles on the backseat. Those gleeful, charming, serene faces, encouraging and making each other’s time pleasant, living for a goal higher than their own self, remarkably changed my philosophy of life. I wondered who are actually disabled. Isn't it us who cannot overcome our petty problems, who believe in only taking, or is it them? My heart pleads yes.
As soon as we entered, we were greeted by a lad on wheel chair who had recently come from Lahore. He looked beaming with smiles and quite nattily dressed, wearing chunky rings and below shoulder hair. This was Tayyab Bhai. Quickly, I registered a change in my friend’s attitude who was acting like she has come home. She was no more like the fish out of water that I sometimes feel in her demeanor. The poster on the wall near us read You can’t make the world safe for democracy, unless you make it safe for diversity! I heard the orchestra of sounds from the room and as we were shown in, everyone became quiet and smiled at us. There were five to six people couched on the sofa and some working on computer. Hey Maria, we were supposed to meet disabled people. But, it was like a family sitting together chatting and having the moment of their lives. Maria gave our brief introductions that garnered another row of smiles at us.
The first person I met was Uzma, who had a subtle resemblance with someone I know, but could not really figure out. She had such a serene and hopeful face and elegance in her disposition that I cannot really put in words. She was on the electric wheel chair and clad in pink. She told me she had muscle dystrophy, and on observing our blank reaction, she rhapsodically started explaining it. It is basically a disorder in which the muscles weaken with age and there is no cure for it. Once you have lost the power, you cannot replenish it anyway. Seemingly, the person is normal, but there are major difficulties in mobility. She was ten years old when she got to know about her illness. At that time, she did not know there could be other people having the same disability. Coping with school was really hard for her. She could not carry her bags. But, her father was persistent on having her educated. She used to be dropped off at school quite before the start time, to escape pushing and crowds on the way which might hurt them. In her tender age, she was very shy of her disability. She would wretchedly cry about it, and went into self exclusion from social events, avoiding family gatherings and going out in recess at schools. At weddings, they stayed behind in the car and had their foods while their parents attended it. She told me that she needed an attendant virtually for everything from toileting to combing, and they could not take a step outside the room even without her aid. Later, she went on to do Masters in Computer Sciences and also taught tuition till BSc level. At university, she said that the departments were far off, due to which she used to reach the class late while the rest of the students made on time. Her strength was gradually fading away. She said that the people around her did not accept her condition as disability, rather they thought of it as an illness, due to which they were never provided wheelchairs, which were necessary for her condition- to save from further loss of strength of muscles.
The fear of remarks from society, embarrassment and the almost nil mobility made her feel that her life has come to a blank wall. However, she thanked Allah and her parents for helping her become this person exuding confidence and optimism. But the stimulus was provided by Milestone, to appreciate herself and also to help other’s survive. It was 25th July 2006; she remembered clearly, when milestone came to her life. She respectfully mentioned the name of Shafiqurrehman, the President of Milestone who helped her recover psychologically and explained to her about her disability. She felt there are people who knew what she has to go through, and she could make them understand her experience. By the end, she was again cheerful and related to me how she has become so suave in talking after joining Milestone, whereas she used to be very quiet at her home. She feels now she has found the purpose of her life.
After that, Tayyab Bhai ushered into the room. Maria asked him to talk and initially he sounded a bit hesitant. I asked him about his name and he said Tayyab Bhai, to which I asked if Bhai is the part of his original name, he said yes there should be a stress on it. We all laughed. He had Polio from the age of five and was ridden to permanent wheel chair after having several unsuccessful treatments. He had done ACCA and was doing a job in government as well. One of the remarkable things about him was that he had written a book Dhundle Saaye which was the confutation of Dhundle Chehre written by a renowned author. Currently, he is working on his poetry book. He rapturously told me that he had done everything what people consider normal. He had enjoyed his school, college and university life as a bright student and made lots of friends. He said he had been engaged in this organization for around seven years, initially coming for sports competition. He happily expressed his service in earthquake 2005, acting as Assistant Program manager in Muzaffarabad and Mansehra. He provided wheelchairs, mobile phones, white canes and training for attendants for the disabled people. I asked him about his hobbies and he said he loves reading books which are Islamic and present a different outlook of life. In the end, he passed the recorder to us and started his round of questions which was very humorous.
Finally, we had a group photo and Maria saw us off. I walked out as a different person, putting my troubles on the backseat. Those gleeful, charming, serene faces, encouraging and making each other’s time pleasant, living for a goal higher than their own self, remarkably changed my philosophy of life. I wondered who are actually disabled. Isn't it us who cannot overcome our petty problems, who believe in only taking, or is it them? My heart pleads yes.
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