“It’s all in the mind,” says Vishant Nagvekar. Listening to his story was heart warming. For this 51-year-old post-graduate in Allied Statistics, age is just a number. Working in the statistics department in Goa government since 2002, Nagvekar, a BCom graduate who is 90% disabled utilised his weekend offs in attending full-day classes at Sanquelim College travelling from Panaji to Sanquelim. And this he did meticulously for 18 months until he got his postgraduate degree last year.
“The course is designed for working class people and the timing is 10 am to 5 pm on Saturday and Sunday with one hour break. Since I work in the statistics department, I need to upgrade my knowledge for better prospects which prompted me to join the course,” explained Nagvekar who lost both his legs due to polio when he was 18-months-old.
Incapacitated from hip-level, crutches and wheelchair allow him to move, but with his die-hard spirit he plays cricket, football, table tennis and badminton. Wheelchair has not crippled him as he rides a four-wheeled scooter and drives a car, with valid license. He also motivates others like him to learn to ride and drive, to be self-dependent while travelling.
Married to Sangeeta, a graduate in commerce, the duo live in government quarters at Panaji while his family lives in Mayem. Third of four siblings, he lost his father Savlo last year and brother before that. Both his sisters are married. Mother Leela is fighting the age-old battle of their ancestral land that has not been registered in their name as yet. “The property issue in Mayem is more than 60 years old, since the liberation of Goa. Every time elections come, politicians come out with false promises to resolve the issue, but everything stands still till next election,” claims Nagvekar.
An activist by nature, he voices many issues publicly. “I want to be the voice of the voiceless, the disabled. To raise issues related to disabilities, to bring transformation in the lives of the disabled, to give them accessibility in educational institutions, public spaces, is what I do on a regular basis. I have brought these issues to the notice of Goa State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities Guruprasad Pawaskar. Some have been positively resolved. I have written multiple letters to Human Rights Commission too,” says Nagvekar.
“There are 21 disabilities and each one is different than the other. The percentage of disability also varies from person to person, making him/her eligible for certain relaxations or certifying him disqualified for certain tasks,” pointed out Nagvekar who feels that there is need to change people’s mindset of looking at a disabled person. Many things need to change “ the design of buildings, educational system, teaching methods, travelling modes, communication mediums.
It is because of Nagvekar’s efforts that accessibility has been answered in the Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMC). There are now ramps, special queues, preference in admissions and attention, reserved parking “ for the disabled. Thanks to his perseverance, a special board gave directives to all doctors to give preference to attend the disabled.
A district and state-level badminton champion, a gold and silver medallist in table tennis, Nagvekar organises sports activities. He plays wheelchair-bound football. On Sundays he is at Campal indoor stadium, playing with his counterparts from across the State. “Sport binds all together. We share information, do physical activity, cheer each other. I promote sports activities, motivate people to play. Those who gather are from Vasco, Colvale, Margao...” he pointed out, adding, “I am creating a cricket team”.
Making a deal with life, he never gives up. Activism began early in his life, as a student. Recalling his school-college days, he laments that there was no accessible public transport. He needed escort. From Marathi primary school in Mayem, to DMC College Mapusa escort used to drop and pick him up.
“My college was on first floor, it was very difficult for me to climb the stairs. Library was also up. I voiced my problem and got all the classes on ground floor. During post-graduation I asked the college for marked parking space for disabled, and got it. Sensitisation is must, as people with no disability do not understand the woes we go through, so I always raise my point. One should speak for himself and for others. I do it, that’s my motto,” he smiles.
Ask him what he wants to tell the world, and Nagvekar speaks his heart, “The disabled get de-motivated if they do not get support from the society. That stops their education or socialising. Education can offer a job and money which is necessary for a living. Non-disabled can get any job. For disabled, there are limitations. Also, disability could be of so many types “ physical, locomotive, intellectual, hearing, visibility, muteness etc. I feel, each disabled person must get an opportunity to learn, to grow and have a space of his own to blossom in his own small way. The world is beautiful. Let’s all live and let live.”
