MADHYA PRADESH: In September 2010, a spine injury changed 21-year-old Pooja Garg’s life completely. A bright IT graduate from Indore’s Sushila Devi Bansal College, she had just finished her Bachelor of Engineering in Information Technology and was preparing to start her dream job as a software developer in Noida with an annual package of Rs 4 lakh. But a sudden accident at home brought all her plans to a halt.
“Back in September 2010, after completing my BE in Information Technology, I was preparing to join a company in Noida on October 2, 2010. But a fall while walking down the stairs at home in Bada Ganpati locality fractured my spine and confined me to bed for the next seven years,” Pooja recounted.
On the very day she was supposed to join her company, October 5, 2010, she had to undergo critical surgery in Indore instead.
Despite undergoing thirteen more surgeries over the next seven years across multiple cities, none could restore her mobility.
“More than Rs 20 lakh of my parents’ hard-earned money was exhausted without any significant results. I helplessly watched my two younger sisters continue their studies while I remained confined to a single room. With no other option, my parents had to lock me inside the room each day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.,” she recalled.
Festivals like Holi and Diwali, which were meant for celebration, became reminders of my surgeries. Doctors eventually warned that it would be extremely difficult for me even to sit on my own, and I could not turn sideways on the bed for at least three years.
By 2017, Pooja decided to leave behind her dream of becoming a software professional. Inspired by her mother’s words, “If you can’t walk, then dream and focus on flying to soaring heights,” she turned to para-shooting. Starting from her home city of Indore, she quickly made her mark by winning gold at the MP State Para-Shooting Championship.
She followed it up with gold medals in the Pre-Nationals and the National Para-Shooting Championship in Kerala. Her determination and talent saw her rank among the top eight para shooters in India by 2020.
However, the high cost of pursuing a shooting career led her to switch to canoeing. After intense training and competition at two consecutive Asian Championships in Uzbekistan and Japan, she finally reached the podium at the Asian Para Canoeing tournament in Thailand in June 2025, winning two bronze medals in the 200-metre and 500-metre events for India.
Pooja’s achievements in sports came even as she faced another major challenge. In May 2024, she was diagnosed with bone cancer, following a series of unexplained fractures in 2023.
“Cancer multiplies with mind, so I’ve stopped even thinking of myself as a cancer survivor. Thanks to the herbal treatment under the supervision of exceptional Ayurveda guru Farshi Wale Baba at Devbappa Mauli Dham Trust in Trimbakeshwar-Nashik, I have just one motto in life—to keep on doing big till life bids adieu,” she said.
Pooja’s resilience is reflected not just in her sports career but in extraordinary feats of courage. In 2024, she completed a 17-day, 4,500 km motorbike expedition from Indore to Nathu La Pass at 14,140 ft, one of the highest motorable roads in India, to raise awareness about cancer. She reached the summit carrying the Indian tricolour on National Cancer Awareness Day, November 7, 2024, earning a place in the London Book of Records.
After losing her father to a brain hemorrhage the same year, Pooja turned her focus to social service through her NGO, Pankho ki Udan, which she had founded in 2021. The organization works with children, especially marginalized and vulnerable groups, and senior citizens.
It emphasizes sustainable development and empowerment through awareness campaigns on issues like good touch and bad touch, cyberbullying, and other related concerns.
Pooja also works on empowering physically challenged people by training them to make candles from soya and coconut wax. She has submitted child-focused projects to the United Nations and is in discussions with the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) on an innovative project.
From a young girl who sped around college on a scooter to a paraplegic facing years of immobility, to a national and international para-sports medalist, cancer fighter, record-breaking motorbike traveler, and social entrepreneur, Pooja Garg’s life is a story of sheer determination. Her journey proves that with courage, focus, and an unbreakable spirit, one can rise above adversity.
“Back in 2010, I could not have imagined the life I would lead today. I could not walk, I could not move, but I decided not to let these challenges define me. Every setback became a stepping stone,” Pooja reflected. Her life is an inspiration for anyone facing physical or emotional hardships, showing that with determination and courage, dreams can take you to great heights.
