I lost my leg when I was just six years old — a truck ran over me while I was walking on the road and before I could cry for help, life, as I knew it, had changed forever. I was too young to comprehend things at that time, but it didn’t take me too long to realise that I was always going to be different.
Rejections soon became a part and parcel of my daily life — right from my playgroup to other gatherings, people picked on my weakness and always reminded me of my handicap. I would look at boys my age playing football and cricket, and wonder how it would always be just a dream for me. And since no one would empathise with my condition, I became indifferent towards almost everyone around me.
As I entered my teens, I realised that I was getting bullied a lot and I needed someone who could protect me. Even my family wasn’t that supportive of my endeavours and did not encourage my trying to live life like a normal person.
So, on a strong impulse, I left home at the age of 12 and literally lived on the streets for a few years.
It was the mid 90s, a time when Mumbai’s underbelly was the most active. I felt so vulnerable that I actually made friends with a few street gangs, as I was confident that these people would protect me in a way that “respectable” boys of my age wouldn’t. Fighting it out on the streets was the hardest I have known life to be. I could see no future ahead, but God certainly had other plans.
During one of my encounters at the time, I came across a person who was associated with an NGO called Bhagwan Mahavir Viklang Shaita Samiti. He was the messiah who I didn’t even realise I was looking for. His organisation got me operated for free and helped me get an artificial leg. Thus, came by the second turning point of my life.
I steeped myself into every job that I could find; I wanted to compensate for all the inactive years of my life. I swept floors in office buildings, sold socks on the streets — I stopped at nothing, while teaching myself to control my temper and not attach importance to people who meant nothing to me.
My first streak of success came with Roadies 2. For the very first time in my life, I felt treated like a normal person. It was an eye-opener from the word go. I realised that there are people who genuinely care for the disabled. I never thought I could be famous, but there I was, recognised by people almost everyday, some of them even walking up to me saying how much I have inspired them.
As humbled as I was with all the praise, I also knew there are many like me, or even better, with no way to come to the forefront. I thought of using my fame to create avenues for them, while adding more meaning to the life I got back.
Since biking has always been a passion, I thought why not use my success as a tool to bring more disabled people to the forefront. After getting rejected by a few biking clubs because of my handicap, I started my own club. It’s called Convoy Control Club — it’s open to all, especially the disabled, and every expedition we go on is dedicated to a cause.
I have climbed the Himalayas several times and I still cherish the dream of conquering Mount Everest someday — I know it will happen.
During this time I also met my wife. She is Catholic and we both were very much in love. Fortunately, her family was not very hard to convince, and we soon married.
My wife has a lot to do with the positive slant of my life; she has made the struggle more bearable and the prizes more savoury.
Today, when I go back home to hear my son tell me how much he wants to be like me, I cannot put in words how it makes me feel. I haven’t really shared my past in minute detail with him, as I don’t want him to be reckless enough to run away from home. I want to give my children everything I was deprived of as a child — a protected upbringing where their thoughts can run free.
I am grateful to God for whatever he has given me and also for what he took away, because that’s what made me what I am today and I am indeed quite proud of what I have made of myself.
I believe a person is born once, but he can die several times, so it is important to keep the faith. If you want, you can do anything — my story should tell you it’s true.