CHENNAI: If passion and perseverance are the epitome of grit, Gnana Bharathi is the living embodiment of it as he has proved time and again by overcoming obstacles thrown at him in life.
The 52-year-old has crossed several hurdles after a train accident paralysed him chest-down two decades ago. Disability is no longer a barrier for him. It’s a challenge he has taken up by maintaining an active lifestyle. For example, he learned how to swim a few years back and in 2022, he won a gold medal (50m breaststroke) and two silver medals (100m and 50m backstroke) in the national-level para swimming championship.
A scientist at the Central Leather Research Institute (CLRI), he runs an association for uniting people paralysed by spinal cord injury. “Many of the injured people drown in self-pity as their movement is restricted after accidents. There was no proper representation for people with spinal cord injury. So, I started the Spinal Injured Persons Association (SIPA) in 2015,” he said. SIPA has been working with the government for the welfare of people with spinal cord injuries and has also designed wheelchairs for such people.
Gnana Bharathi, a native of Pudukkottai, studied MSc Applied Geology from the University of Roorkee and MTech from Indian School of Mines. He was employed at the Central Institute of Mining and Fuel Research, Dhanbad, in Jharkhand. In 2002, he was hit by a train at a level-crossing at Chromepet in Chennai, in which he sustained a spinal cord injury and was paralysed chest downward.
“I was bed-ridden for a year and bound to a wheelchair even after that. Then, I decided to go back to work and asked for a transfer to Chennai. I was given a temporary posting at the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-National Metallurgical Laboratory. Later, I was posted at the environment department in CLRI,” he said.
Having decided to focus his energy on a new passion, in 2013, he took an interest in swimming and has been participating in competitions from there on. He participated and won medals in the state-level (2014) and national-level (2015 and 2016) para swimming competitions.
His success has been an inspiration to people with similar injuries. “I suffered a spinal injury while working at my company in 2014. I read in newspapers about SIPA and came in contact with Gnana Bharathi. The association helps similar people to meet. We encourage each other to stay active as pressure sores are only one of the main reasons for death among spinal injured persons. We also share travel stories and new initiatives. As people with such injuries can’t visit hospitals to undergo regular check-ups due to accessibility issues, the medical camp organised by SIPA is also very useful,” said a member of the association.