4 Inspiring Indian Disables Women Who Fought All Odds

The Indian Constitution places persons with disabilities in Article 41, which talks about the welfare of unemployable groups such as the elderly, sick and disabled. This is a clear indication of how the disabled individuals are perceived as unproductive and/or unemployable. According to the ‘Annual Disability Status Report’, of the 70 million persons with disabilities, only 100,000 have obtained employment in India. Recently, the government has been making efforts in forms of progressive legislation, schemes and provisions for their benefit. But in reality, the community is being consistently disadvantaged and marginalized by neglect.

Here are some true homegrown legends who didn’t let their disability stop them from conquering the world.

* Arunima Sinha

The first woman amputee to climb Mount Everest. In 2011, Arunima Sinha lost her leg when some robbers pushed her out of a moving train. Determined to not let the pity and ridicule she had to face bog her down, she decided to climb Mount Everest. Two years later, as a result of sheer persistence, she became the first woman amputee/ the first Indian amputee to climb the tallest peak in the world and even went on to climb Kilimanjaro in Africa, Elbrus in Europe and Kosciuszko in Australia.

* Subhreet Kaur Ghumman

The amputee runner-up for Britain’s Got Talent for her dancing abilities. After a road accident in 2009, Subhreet Kaur Ghumman lost her leg as a result of the hospital’s blunder. Music and dance having always been a great motivation for this dancer, she was determined to pursue her dream of being a dancer. After months of exercise and pain, she was able to start dancing on just one leg. She began performing on various stages and dance shows ultimately participating in India’s Got Talent (Season 5) and emerged as the Runner Up. It is here that she earned the name “One-Legged Dancer.” She now hopes to start a dance school with a focus on amputees just like herself.

* Sudha Chandran

The Bharatnatyam dancer with a prosthetic leg. Born in Kerala, this 50-year-old artist unfortunately met with an accident when she was only 16 years old. Doctors missed a small wound in her ankle, which later got infected. The only solution left was to amputate her leg and hence, she got a prosthetic “Jaipur Foot” and she learned to perform Bharatanatyam with her prosthetic leg. Today, she is one of the most acclaimed classical dancers in the country. She has performed internationally as far as Europe and has been honoured with several awards too.

* Preethi Srinivasan

Preeti Srinivasan was the youngest to play for the Tamil Nadu Women’s Cricket Team. She even captioned the Under 19 Tamil Nadu Cricket team to its victory. However, when she was 18 years old, an accident left her quadriplegic. After being a champion swimmer and star cricketer, the inability to even lift a finger was extremely hard for her. However, it was the pain and hardships she had to face inspired her to form an NGO Soulfree for women with several disabilities. The agenda of the organization is to help build the self-esteem of such disabled victims and assist them in achieving their dreams. Unfortunately, for the past 14 years she has been fighting a battle with the University of Madras, who refused to give her admission because of her disability.