HYDERABAD: If there is a personification of grit and determination, it has to be in the form of Harry Boniface Prabhu. He has won numerous international championships in Wheelchair Tennis, apart from being awarded the Padma Shri, the nation’s fourth highest civilian honour. And he is a quadriplegic.
With a goal of creating awareness on Persons with Disabilities (PwDs), Boniface Prabhu, in association with Thums Up, began a month-long expedition Veer K2K, from Kashmir to Kanyakumari. He started the road journey on November 9, and aims to finish it by December 7.
The expedition held meetings and training classes on sign language in Amritsar, Chandigarh, Delhi, Gurgaon, Jaipur, Ajmer, Ahmedabad, Pune, and reached Hyderabad on Tuesday.
School children listened with rapt attention to Boniface Prabhu at an event held at Government School at Nallagutta in the city. He taught kids the basics of sign language and made them say ‘welcome’ to Samreen Begum, a differently-abled child, using non-verbal communication.
“Debabrata Mukherjee (Debu), Vice President of Coca Cola India, and Murali, VP of Accenture, treated me as their own brother and helped me a lot. I also thank team Thums Up for their assistance.” added
Boniface.
He complimented Hyderabadis for the warm hospitality offered. The disabled need opportunities, not sympathy, said Boniface, and called upon youth to chase their dreams and not stop when faced with impediments.
Difficulties are only in the mind, says Boniface Prabhu, whose desire is to make India a disabled-friendly country. Let us support him in making his dream come true.