For some, this Independence Day meant freedom of movement.
To mark 76 years of freedom, a city NGO provided wheelchairs to 76 differently-abled people on Sunday.
A shelter for the urban homeless on Amherst Street, near Lady Dufferin Victoria Hospital, was the venue for the programme, titled “Jeene Ki Azaadi (freedom to live)”.
The beneficiaries and their caregivers came from all around the city and the nearby districts.
One of them was Sudipta Biswas, who came from Nadia’s Kalyani. Biswas’s younger brother, Soumitra, 29, suffers from a congenital disease that has left him with a paralysed right leg.
“He needs support to even go to the washroom. The wheelchair will be of immense help. I spend most of my time at work. For my 75-year-old mother, it is at times impossible to physically help my brother. As a result, he is confined in one place almost throughout the day,” said Sudipta, who owns a cycle-repair unit.
“The stark reality of the situation cannot be ignored that there are over 80 million people with disabilities in India. Lack of mobility is one of the major barriers in their lives in both urban and rural areas, severely limiting their opportunities to lead a minimally decent and dignified life. This not only restricts their physical movement
but also hampers their ability to participate fully in societal activities,” said s note from the IHA Foundation, the NGO that gifted the wheelchairs.
Physician Rahul Jain was a guest at the programme. “Beyond physical limitations lies a realm of dreams and aspirations. I salute the organisers for this initiative as it exemplifies the power of collective action,” said Jain, internal medicine specialist at Belle Vue Hospital.
“The true essence of Independence lies not only in political freedom but also in ensuring that every member of our society enjoys the basic rights and amenities they deserve. Jeene Ki Azaadi is a heartfelt endeavour to enable our specially-abled citizens to experience the joy of independent movement,” said Satnam Singh Ahluwalia, chairman, IHA Foundation.
