For Arjuna Awardee Deepa Malik, the pit-stop in Bangalore on Monday is just the beginning. A small chunk out of the 2,300 kilometers that she has decided to travel as part of 'Will on Wheels', a social awareness drive to promote 'Ability Beyond Disability'. She is driving from Chennai to Gurgaon in a span of 10 days, covering 9 cities en route.
A paraplegic, through this drive, Malik aims to make a record for the pan India drive.
And according to her, the idea came through during an interaction with the students of Sathyabama University, Chennai earlier this year. In her speech, Malik had asked the young designers to keep the differently-abled in mind while creating vehicles.
"The students took inspiration from her speech and decided to design a special car for differently-abled individuals and they chose me as the ambassador," she says. On August 15, she was invited again by the University to hoist the flag and it was then that she was told about the hybrid car - a Renault Duster.
"The Federation of Motor Sport Club of India agreed that if I drive the car for such a distance, they will accept it as a record for longest pan India drive by a paraplegic woman," she adds.
According to Malik the main aim is to bridge the gap between abled and differently-abled people to drive on the roads.
The iron lady
Driving 2,300 km is no easy job even for a fully fit person, so how does Malik, being a paraplegic, manage the strenuous long hours.
"Due to the severity of the disability, it becomes all the more difficult. Being a paraplegic, I can't sit for long hours. I need support to sit at a stretch. So taking up a task like driving is a difficult feat. Also, I have weak bowel movements which makes it tougher to travel on road. These physical difficulties come attached with being a paraplegic," she says.