Roshant Parwar, now an Assistant Professor of Law at VM Salgaocar College of Law in Miramar, used to work at GR Kare College of Law in Margao. He’s also doing a PhD at Goa University, studying the rights of disabled people in State.
Parwar has a disability affecting his left leg, caused by a medical mistake when he was three. Even with difficulties in his body, money, and how people treat him, Parwar stayed strong and kept going. “My mother, Chhaya Parwar, is my biggest motivation. It is due to the values instilled by her that I stand wherever I am today. Coming from a lower-middle-class family, living in a village, I had an ordinary childhood. However, at that young age too, I understood the importance of education. I was hungry for knowledge and knew that only education would bring me out of my situation,” states Parwar.
Underlining that when people embrace a positive attitude towards persons with disabilities (PwDs), barriers dissolve, leading to increased opportunities for employment, education, and community participation, Parwar adds, “This inclusivity enriches our social fabric, promoting empathy, understanding, and cooperation among all members of society.”
During his childhood, Parwar had to deal with many problems. He has a disability that affects 40% of his body. He explains that disabled people have to overcome barriers in society and money before they can do well. Parwar wears special shoes to help him walk, but he can only manage for a short time. After 15-20 minutes, his leg hurts too much, and he has to stop and rest it.
“My Principal at Salgaocar College is kind enough to allow me to take liberty while teaching in the classrooms,” says Parwar who teaches Banking Law, Insurance, Environmental Law, RTI Law, Labour Law etc.
How did Parwar start teaching after being a lawyer? He did a BA at Rosary College, where he was the best in Economics. Later, he saw that teaching law had more opportunities. He didn’t dream of being a judge or a Mamlatdar, but he trusted in good teaching.
“I used to practice as an advocate, taking civil cases matter in Margao and due to transport issue, restricted my practices. Then I pursued Masters in Law and did specialisation in Corporate and Commercial Law. During LLM, I developed an interest in teaching and realised that I had potential to be a teacher. I seriously followed it up, cleared my SET exam in the first attempt, then NET and joined G R Kare College of Law. Later I moved to VM Salgaocar College of Law as a full-time regular and permanent teacher in 2021 where I currently work.”
Parwar, who got married in 2022, says his wife, Ritisha Parwar, works in healthcare and looks after his diet and health. They live in Navelim with their family. Parwar is financially independent and thanks God, his parents, brother Ravi, and his wife for helping him overcome challenges.
Parwar grew up in a village where society had a conservative attitude towards PwDs. He feels, “This needs to change. The younger generation has to be taught that empathy is more required than sympathy. Inclusivity should be implemented in a righteous manner. Without inclusivity, earning opportunities remain restricted. A PwD should not be ashamed of his disability and has to overcome all barriers.”
During his Masters, Parwar realised that if he didn’t speak up and face his challenges, nobody would hear him. Once he understood this, he started speaking out and never stopped. Before that, he had held himself back a lot.
Parwar used to play cricket till he was 25-26. He enjoys watching football matches, is following the Liverpool football club for the past 20 years. He likes to watch motivational movies and travelling. When asked about his goal in life, Parwar points out to excellence in teaching, “I want to excel in teaching, and establish myself as a good teacher. If I could motivate even one child, I would be happy. I want to take this noble profession seriously, as it impacts young minds to be better citizens.”
