XTRASPECIAL
Vinod Kumbhar
Vinod Kumbhar is a fighter. Polio in his right leg has not deterred him to fight for his rights, wherever he goes. Having read the manual of rights of disabled persons, he points out to the shortcomings of its implementation. The second child of four siblings Vinod did not have polio at birth, and he used to walk, but since he was not given the polio vaccine when he was a kid, he got it, he claims.
Hailing from remote Quepem, Vinod went to a government school in Sanguem till SSC. Walking was difficult, with the school bag, and he was advised to use a stick for support, but he declined to use it, and managed to walk the distance. He fell many times, but learnt to rise each time. Later, he did Class 11 but before he could enrol for Class 12, he got an opportunity of working as apprentice and he continued ITI, instead of Class 12. Today, he works at Goa Shipyard as a welder.
“I never let my disability hamper my goals. Life was then, and still is, full of struggles. Every step I take is a part of this struggle. People mock, underestimate, treat me badly but I don’t give up. While in college, I travelled by public bus, where due to lack of awareness, no seat was reserved for the disabled. I had to hang on the door in a packed bus. But no one showed any sympathy or offered me a seat. Little did I know that persons with disability are entitled for concession in ticket fare! My father, Balkrishna Kumbhar, a primary school teacher, was not aware of any such concessions. I am aware of our rights now, which compels me to spread the word for others,” says Vinod.
Vinod’s brother Rajesh is his prime motivator. Rajesh kept encouraging Vinod to think positively, “Nothing in this world is impossible. Everything is man-made and if humans can create these things, that means even you can do wonders. We all can do everything we want to do.” Such words become the wind beneath Vinod’s wings, and give him confidence to face the world come what may. Friends like Sandip Lilhare, Vishant Nagvenkar, Patrick D’Souza, Stany D’Souza and many others keep him motivated too. “We act as support systems for each other,” smiles Vinod and suggests that if all government employees donate Rs one every month from their salaries, it would help the nation to implement many projects.
Married to Vasudha, Vinod is a father to two kids. He travels from Quepem to Vasco on his three-wheeler daily for three hours. A hardworking person, he would like to venture into some start-up and generate jobs for PwDs. “There are so many around us who should get a chance to earn and live a life of dignity. I got my job after much struggle in 2002. I had to fight for it. Having done apprenticeship for two years, and received training, I demanded the job, which was denied to me because I have a disability,” he adds.
The work Vinod does is hard and risky. Once he faced a fire incident and his hand was burnt. Currently he has been assigned work as a store keeper. "Because of my fighting spirit, my due promotions are being kept on hold,” he alleges, and adds that most workplaces in India are not disabled-friendly. For persons with disability like polio, walking or climbing steps is difficult and painful.
His appeal to the labour commissioner is to give surprise visits to premises of factories and offices, to check if they are disabled friendly. “My request to the government of Goa and India is, to make life easy for the Divyang jans. Let the rules and regulations not remain on paper, implement them wholeheartedly, and voluntarily. We need not fight for basic needs, which is our right, but often denied,” appeals Vinod who had to undergo a long process, to procure driving licence. Getting two-wheeler or four-wheeler licence is a task for PwDs. After much hassles, he got licence for modified four-wheeler in 2011 and for modified two-wheeler in 2023.
“PwDs are equal and sometimes, even better in many skills. The society needs to change its mindset of looking towards a PwD and help them overcome their difficulties, not create hurdles on their path,” appeals Vinod who is a good sportsperson and won prizes in cricket, badminton, table tennis and lawn tennis. A poet at heart, he has penned poems. A traveller, he drives on his own to places of worship and has even attended the Kumbh Mela this year.
