As he sits behind the wheel of a Toyota Etios, the only sign that gives away the fact that Dildar Ahmed Shapoo is paraplegic is the sticker of the toll free number of the Spinal Cord Injury Foundation on his car. Driving all the way from district Anantnag in Kashmir, Dildar is on a stopover in Goa before carrying on his journey through South and North-East India till he completes this mission on September 25, 2015, which is India Spinal Injury Day. He started the journey on August 21, 2015 along with 14-year-old Hashim from Kashmir. Filled with energy and the enthusiasm to bring about a faster change for the paraplegic community of India, Dildar has already been to the states of Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.
Nineteen years ago, a handshake from a friend proved to be costly for Dildar as it caused him to lose balance and fall. The fall caused a spinal injury and he has been wheelchair-bound ever since. He spent eight years confined to his bedroom while his widowed mother and younger brother had to make ends meet. “I was in my final year of college and the only working member of the family. My mother, Hajra, took great care of me until she passed away in 2012. Being a small town in Kashmir, health facilities were limited; the district hospital didn't even have a ramp to aid me,” says Dildar.
The moment of truth for him was when he got a bed sore and was prescribed a cream costing Rs 2, an amount he didn't have. “I had to borrow the money from a friend. That’s when I decided that I had to do something with my life. I could not be someone who would live indoors. I started a business as a joint venture with a friend. There were many ups and downs in life but I have been through all the storms. People think that being paraplegic means you have be a taker; I wanted to be a giver,” informs Dildar, who feels that the act of being picked up from his wheelchair to be carried to another place is most embarrassing.
He asked Auto-Mate, Pune to customise his first car, a Hyundai Santro in which he drove 33,000 kilometres including his off-road expeditions. Now in his Toyota Etios, he has completed 32,000 kilometres. “I was stuck for four days in my car in Manali due to an avalanche. I was all alone without any mobile signal. I slept throughout the day and when I could hear the cries of wild animals, I would turn the car on and honk,” he relates with a smile.
On the road for over two weeks now, Dildar has been to institutes like Lady Willington Hospital, Manali, Paraplegic Rehabilitation Centre for Armed Forces, Khadki-Pune and Sawai Man Singh Hospital in Jaipur. But the one that inspired him the most was Swapna Nagari, Kudal run by Naseema Hurzuk, who founded Helpers of the Handicapped in 1984. The institute houses 300 inmates with 10 able bodied helpers. “She is a brave woman who is making a huge change in the lives of the inmates. They are independent and working to bring up their own families. She has given my vision a new aspect,” says Dildar, who drives nearly 500 kilometres per day.
“I have two aims with this drive across India. Firstly, I want to start a portal with all the information about paraplegics who are living in India, right from their name, address, nature of their disability, cause of their disability and even their financial status. This forum will be easier to give an understanding on how help can be provided to these individuals. Secondly, at the moment, there are various organisations working in different parts of the country that are not aware of the other centres doing the same work. I want to connect all these centres and have a discussion with all of them in one place, where we can share ideas and take the movement forward,” explains Dildar.
“Through this awareness drive, I hope to reach out to more people who will share their stories and when I come across aspiring paraplegic individuals, I can help them get in touch with people who have achieved something in the same field. How I have chosen to drive across India, Salil Chaturvedi is the first paraplegic in India to sail from Mumbai to Goa, and I know a man who has climbed up mountains with sheer determination. The Spinal Cord Injury Foundation also has a toll free number, 18004251210, that educates people and prevents them from getting conned into believing that spinal cord injury can be treated. There are several cases in the court regarding the same,” concludes this inspiring individual.