KOCHI: Sajesh’s world came crashing down when he lost a leg in a freak accident at the age of 18. Despite being forced to stare into long stretches of darkness in the best years of one’s life, he seldom lost self- belief. He fought back and the rest is a fascinating story of unbelievable struggle and success.
Sajesh M V, Kerala’s lone amputee marathoner, was preparing for the first year examination of the B.Tech Mechanical Engineering course when the accident which turned his world upside down occurred. The below knee amputation surgery was performed on his left leg. Ten years later, he participated in a marathon inspired by ‘Challenging Ones’, a group of amputees led by Major D P Singh, a Kargil war
veteran.
“Someone posted about the Spice Coast Marathon in Kochi in 2016 in the group’s FB page and WhatsApp group. It made me curious,” he said.What followed was a rigorous practice in the night. The 20-day-long practice was in nights and he ran a three km distance everyday. “My native place is a village - Vellore at Payyannur. I preferred nights for practicing to avoid friends stopping their vehicles to offer me a lift,” he chuckles.
The practice, however, yielded good results. He ran a good five km distance against the original plan of 3 km. It took only 46 minutes for the run.
“The event further boosted my confidence. Then onwards I’ve never missed a chance to attend marathons,” Sajesh said. He has participated in five events so far and is preparing for three others to be held in November and December. Sajesh hopes the marathon on December 3 organised by the IMA would be special in his athletic career. For he would participate in it with a blade and not the artificial limb he now uses. The blade is a gift from Vascular Society of India.
Cycling and running are ideal exercises for amputees, says Sajesh. “it is important for the amputees to maintain their weight to regain the normal gait pattern. Putting weight would also be difficult to fit into the limb,” he said. Sajesh encourages other amputees, especially the young, by posting photos and videos of the events he attend on the WhatsApp group and Facebook page of “Challenging Ones”.
His dreams include participating in the Paralympics. “I would give a try for sure. But it needs professional training which is unaffordable for me now,” he said.
Hailing from a middle class family, Sajesh is on a job hunt now. The 30- year-old is a professional medical gas pipeline engineer. He had also served as a tutor at the government ITI for over two years. He has also made it to a PSC recruitment list. Krishnan K C is Sajesh’s father. He says that his family, including his mother Sathi MV and sister Sajina M V are his greatest source of strength.
Heart Walk-Run
Amputee marathoner Sajesh MV was in the capital to attend the “Heart Walk-Run 2017”, charity event to support heart surgeries for poor children, organised by Oracle India. State police chief Loknath Behera inaugurated the event on Sunday. Oracle India vice-president Deepankar Narayanan, senior director Ramesh Iyer attended.