VIJAYAPURA: An accident ruins many lives. But in this case, a tragedy has transformed the lives of many others. Nimish Acharya (47) met with a car accident in 2001 which damaged his spinal cord, robbed him of his ability to use his feet, and confined him to a wheelchair for the rest of his life.
It started another chapter of his life. He now arranges medical camps for persons with disabilities caused by spinal cord injury, protests for their rights and frequently meets officials to seek better facilities for them. The trauma and agony of what the accident took away from him made his spirit more steely, and he is now a massive source of inspiration for many like him. He epitomises this-is-not-the-end resolve.
Acharya has been running Karnataka State Association for Spinal Cord Injury Victims for a decade now, an NGO that works for the relief and rehabilitation of people with disability.“In 2001, I met with a car accident which has left me completely paralysed. I was only 24 then and had a six-month-old son. I was shattered when I realised that I would not be able to walk again. I was bedridden for four years,” he recalled as renowned doctors told him that the damage could not be reversed.
He told The New Sunday Express that after spending four years in bed, he finally found a therapy that helped him gain enough shoulder strength to manoeuvre his body.“More than the physical strength, the therapy gave an emotional boost. I began to work while going around in a wheelchair,” he said. As he picked up the pieces, he came across at least 40 people in Vijayapura district like him who needed help to overcome the trauma.
Acharya has observed that in most cases the family stops caring for such a person “when they realise that the person cannot walk or work.” He started meeting others like him to help them build an independent and dignified life. He purchased a medical kit and carried it with him during the meetings but his personal resources were inadequate. “The problems that people like us face are humongous which cannot be addressed without government support,” he said.
The association was formed in 2013 with 40 people. “He organised a five-day medical camp for free. We involved a government hospital and some NGOs for the camp which around 20 people attended,” he said. Not only is the camp now held regularly, but the number of association members has soared to 453.
Spinal cord injury victims cannot get back to their normal lives but to operate the wheelchair, they need special therapy and exercises. “Unfortunately, no government hospital offers this therapy. There are three such centres in Karnataka and all are run by private institutions which charge around Rs 10,000 per month for a three-month therapy,” he said, adding that he wants the government to set up such centres in each district government hospital.
Spinal cord injury requires special treatment which comes at an exorbitant cost with an average of Rs 4,000 just for medicines. Fighting for the rights of people with disabilities, he arguably became the first person in the state with a spinal cord injury to get a motorised vehicle in 2017 from the government under the quota for the disabled. Since then, he has ensured motorcycles for around 50 such people, which has brought a paradigm shift in their lives. “So far, at least 30 persons in our association have become financially independent. They have set up grocery shops or photocopy centres. They go to the market in the vehicle,” he said.
Chaya Kushtagi, whom Acharya helped regain her physical and mental strength, was bedridden after an accident in 2012 in which she sustained a severe spinal cord injury.“I was in a hospital for nearly nine months, and was becoming increasingly frustrated,” she said and recalled that Acharya had visited her which gave a morale boost. It was the first time in all those months, she remembered, she sat up on the bed.
Chaya participated and came second in a beauty contest In a wheelchair in 2015 for persons with disabilities in Bengaluru. She is now married and lives in Bengaluru. Another victim Samir Jamkhandi is now a tax consultant and studying LLB.
However, Acharya urged the government to make a distinction between victims with spinal cord injuries and other disabilities and supply the monthly batch of medicines from the district hospital to reduce their financial burden. His battle to get justice for such people will continue till his last breath, he stressed.