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Sector: Community Based Rehabilitation for
the Disabled
For many of us, good health is something we have
taken for granted. But for a young man in the
village of Kasba Nirvana, health has become a
medium to reach disadvantaged people. He
transformed his own disadvantage not only for
his own betterment, but for the betterment of
all differently-abled people. Up until the 9th
standard, Rinku was just like every other
teenager. He attended school and played sports
with his friends. However, in the 9th standard
Rinku started having severe pain in his legs.
His parents took him to a hospital and Rinku
 received
treatment. Despite intervention, the illness
started to increase. One day his body could take
no more and he collapsed on his bed. After days
of being confined to the bed, Rinku’s parents
started losing hope that he would recover from
the illness and be able to walk again. Because
Rinku was bed-ridden, he started losing his
support system since he could no longer go to
school or play with his friends. Eventually,
Rinku’s illness left him physically challenged
and contained in his room. He also had to deal
with the psychological effects of going from an
active lifestyle to one of complete dependence
and immobility.
As Rinku lay helpless on his bed, a spark of
hope emerged in the form of Dr. Kshama Metre
(affectionately called Dr. Didi). One day, Dr.
Didi had gone to Kasba Nirvana to see a Mahila
Mandal (Village Women’s Group) meeting. A member
of the Mahila Mandal was aware of the
desperation of Rinku and brought it up to Dr.
Didi and the other women at the meeting. Dr.
Didi went to Rinku’s house and brought him to
CORD. After viewing X-Rays, Dr. Didi
 suspected
that Rinku had Ankylosing Spondylosis where the
vertebrae fuses together. She then sent Rinku
for a checkup at the local government hospital.
The doctor confirmed her diagnosis. Dr. Didi
convinced Rinku to stay at CORD for one week so
he could receive regular physiotherapy. By this
time, Rinku was frustrated with life and could
not understand why this was happening to him.
Dr. Didi noticed that Rinku had become an
absolutely broken down youth. While at CORD,
Rinku’s parents could not accompany him because
they had to continue working and earning money
to pay for Rinku’s medical treatment. CORD
workers stayed with Rinku day and night and
motivated him to never give up. After one week
at CORD, Rinku could sit up for a while. But
after some time he would have to lie back down.
Despite this progress, Rinku still remained
frustrated.
After one week at CORD, Rinku continued his
therapy at home. He worked with CORD’s field
workers regularly to improve his condition. In
due time, Rinku’s mother learned the
rehabilitation exercises from the CORD w orkers
and began doing them with her son. Rinku never
forgot about CORD. After putting in a lot of
hard work, one day Rinku surprised Dr. Didi when
he walked into CORD with only the support of a
walker. Finally, Rinku could stand by himself.
Rinku faced yet another challenge when he
started experiencing hip joint problems. CORD
used its network with Christian Medical College
in Ludhiana to perform flexor release surgery
for Rinku. The funding for this surgery came
from loans from local Self-Help Groups and CORD.
With hard work after the surgery, Rinku shifted
from a walker to crutches and then to a single
crutch. This physical transformation reflected
an inner transformation taking place within
Rinku. With each step, he gained more confidence
and slowly became less frustrated with his
situation. He once did not like to leave his
room, but now he felt he could approach and
befriend strangers. Throughout his difficulties,
his village always supported him. CORD even
started a Self-Help Group around him in his
village where he was a member. CORD also
encouraged him to start a business of his own.
Rinku took full advantage of this opportunity
and opened a small tea stall so he could become
self-sufficient. He was extremely proud of his
accomplishments and felt he was in a position to
help others.
Rinku became very active in Chinmaya Umang, a
forum formed by families of the differently-abled.
He also had the opportunity to attend and
present at a national level workshop on
disabilities. As he was giving his presentation
about his disability at the workshop, he became
motivated and was filled with enthusiasm at the
prospect of helping others who were in a similar
situation as him. Although his legs were not
strong, his heart and his mind were stronger
than ever. If only he could channel his
motivation in the right direction.
He then thought about Dr. Didi and the work at
CORD. He decided that he could help Chinmaya
Umang bring about positive changes. When there
was a vacancy for the position of president at
Chinmaya Umang, Rinku knew that this was his
calling. He won the election and became the
group’s President. Rinku’s vibrant leadership
has created a
 friendly
and productive atmosphere. As President, he
fights for the rights of disabled people and
educates the public on disability issues. Rinku
wanted to spare others the frustration and
hardship of dealing with a system that neglects
the differently-abled. He helps educate other
disabled people who are not aware of their
rights. He also takes legal action by bringing
up issues of the disabled in the political
arena. Rinku and other differently-abled
individuals are not asking for special
treatment; they are only asking for the
necessary accommodations so that they can be
integrated into society. With the help of CORD,
Rinku was able to obtain his disability
certificate, a free bus pass, pension, etc.
Rinku also got involved at the local level by
networking with Mahila Mandals (Village Women’s
Groups), Self-Help Groups, and Youth Clubs.
Currently, Rinku is an active member of society.
He used to commute to CORD via a CORD vehicle;
however, now he takes local buses. He has formed
a youth club in his village and he even attends
Gram Sabhas (public meetings of the local
governing bodies) so that he can represent the
differently-abled in his village forum. He goes
from village to village mobilizing resource
persons. These people come to CORD and are
educated on the issues facing the differently-abled.
They then share this information with their
local villages.
Today, Rinku feels that he has his own identity
and can be an example for other differently-abled
people in his community. This once broken down
boy can now keep his head up and be an
inspiration for others.
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