Conquering Paraplegia

  • Barnali Dutta / FG
  • India
  • Dec 19, 2014


Photo: Prakhar Pandey

It is clearly a case of ‘mind over matter’ – a remarkable story of personal tragedy, determination, courage and self-discovery in the face of deep adversity. That has been the world of Deepa Malik. At age seven she developed a spinal cyst, which left her immobile for months. Surgery helped, and many moons later she bounced back to normalcy. But fate had other plans.  Just after she stepped into her twenties, by then happily married, Deepa was struck down by a recurring spinal problem - this time with dire consequences. In 1999, when her husband, Colonel Bikram Singh Malik, was posted in Kargil during the conflict, Deepa was facing her own test. The doctors had categorically told Deepa that removing the tumour from her spinal cord would break the connection between the brain and body, chest down. When she got this news, there was no family elder to share it with – her husband was in Kargil, her father was in Johannesburg and her brother was on deputation in Ooty. Though anxiety was gnawing away at her, she was sure that she had to undergo surgery. But alas, the eighteen-hour surgery came to naught. Deepa was paralysed chest down… never to walk again. However, undeterred by life’s cruel blow, Deepa decided to live life on her terms. Her acceptance that she was a paraplegic and would remain so for the rest of her life, was the first step towards the greatness that she subsequently achieved as a top sportsperson in her own right. That the Government of India was to later acknowledge her amazing feats with the Arjuna Award, the country’s highest recognition for any sportsperson, hardly appears surprising. 

Even in today’s modern world, any sportsperson, especially in the ‘physical’ sports, tends to call it a day when he reaches forty or so. For a woman it is perhaps unthinkable to go beyond that; she has to acknowledge not only the receding powers of her physical body, but also other physiological changes. But, for Deepa, her career as a paraplegic sportsperson began at the age of 36. She has braved 183 stitches between her shoulder blades and 3 spinal tumour surgeries in the past 15 years, to emerge as the first ever Indian to represent the country at the International level in her category of disability. However, because of the regular MRI scans that Deepa has to undergo, to check the progress of the tumour, the doctors haven't been able to insert titanium plates.
 
She is also a biker, swimmer, car rallyist, entrepreneur and motivational speaker - an amazingly rounded persona! She is also the proud and most deserving recipient of the Aravali Samman (2012) of Maharana Mewad Foundation. Hailing from Haryana, Deepa now lives in Ahmednagar, Maharashtra, with her husband and two daughters. Despite being a serious contender in professional sports, her love for wheels, which started during her childhood with a Luna bike, has endured. It was this love that brought her close to her husband Bikram. “I was crazy for bikes. I would say that I’d get married to the guy who gives me a bike. When I met Bikram he said, ‘Tomorrow I'll give you a bike; get married to me’. I said ‘Ok',” she recalls. Did she get her bike? “Yes. It was a Kawasaki Bajaj 100cc.” However, getting a licence for a car, for her category of disability, proved to be a problem. The Maharashtra RTO had no such system. She fought her case for 19 months, made the modifications to get her car approved and obtained a valid licence. Getting a customised motorcycle was another challenge. Deepa remembers being politely shown the door at the Hero Honda office in Gurgaon when she approached them. A brief meeting with Vijay Mallya led to the Mallya Group sponsoring her first bike, which was made by Kaulson Racing in Naraina, Delhi. “I did rallies, so that I'd be written about and people would take note of the fact that a paraplegic woman has driven. At present I am quite confused about the amount that I might receive for my achievements. I am eagerly awaiting the policy of the new government," says Deepa. She was chosen as the judge for the Castrol Most Passionate Biker Hunt, along with actor John Abraham. Her other triumphs include the 2011 'Bajaj Allianz Most Inspirational Women Driver Hunt', and 'Star Rider Trophy' at the Castrol Most Passionate Biker Hunt in 2009. She participated in the Maruti Raid de Himalaya, 2009. 
Deepa won a Silver medal in Shot-put at the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) World Athletic Championships in Christchurch, New Zealand in January 2011 (the only medal for the country and the first ever Paralympic medal won by an Indian woman of any disability). Prior to that she won the Bronze medal at the Para-Asian Games in Guangzhou, China in December 2010 (the first ever medal in Athletics by an Indian woman) and three Gold medals at CP Sports in Nottingham in 2010. She holds three National records, for Javelin, Discus and Shot put, in the F-53 category, and has broken National records during the S-1 Swimming category in Freestyle, Breaststroke and Backstroke in Kuala Lumpur, 2006. Recently, at the Asian Para Games, 2014, Deepa made India proud by notching a Silver medal in Swimming. Deepa has also made an entry into the Limca Book of Records three times. The first time was for crossing a one-kilometre stretch of the river Yamuna, against the current, in 2008; the second time, for her 58-km ride on a special bike, in 2009 - organised by the Federation of Motor Sport Clubs of India; the third time was for becoming the first paraplegic woman to drive to the world's highest motorable road in Khardung La.  Deepa was conferred the CARE Stree Shakti Award for her achievements in the field of sports. 
Even when not riding on her bike or swimming or tossing a javelin, Deepa is hardly sitting idle. She is also an entrepreneur in her own right. She ran a small catering and restaurant business successfully for seven years, between 2003 and 2010. She then took a sabbatical from the business when she got selected for training for the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games 2010. Having achieved so much as a paraplegic, Deepa has indeed banished all beliefs that physical inabilities are a hindrance to success. Her determination to do well despite her disabilities even won her recognition from the government, when she was made a member of the working group for the formulation of the 12th Five Year Plan (2012-2017) on Sports and Physical Education (she was nominated to the Planning Commission, HRD Division on behalf of the Sports Ministry).
Deepa is also a powerful orator. In very quick time she has gained fame as a motivational speaker. Her lectures are well received, both in educational and well as corporate circles. She regularly lectures corporate executives on motivation and the power of self-belief. Deepa has also set up an NGO and is the founder trustee of Wheeling Happiness Foundation, an organisation that works with paraplegics, exhorting them to lead near normal lives and achieve abnormal feats. This NGO is run by her elder daughter, Devika Malik. Her organisation also works in the area of women’s empowerment. Devika recalls, “Since the tender age of 8 years I have watched and learnt from my mother, when she was coping with her disability. Her motivation drove me to combat and overcome my challenges with the same vigour, and also to be of service to other people struggling with a myriad of challenges like disability, depression, gender discrimination and poverty. Our Government should be much more sensitive towards such issues.” She organises Social Bike Rallies, like the Durex AIDS Awareness Rally and Bikers for Good Ride, to promote tree plantation and interactions with the intellectually challenged. What keeps her motivated is her mantra, ‘Disability is only a state of mind’. She adds, "The ‘Para’ word has been misunderstood by many people in India - in fact many of them are not even aware of this word. Moreover, if you are disabled, people start thinking that it is the end of one’s life. I am not extraordinary; I just decided to start living my life – and fighting for it - under my own conditions. I am not a burden on anybody. I am an employee of the Haryana government; I have been appointed as Coach. I have my own identity, which is very important in today's world. I love biking and I never want to leave it. I lead a normal life…for me nothing has really changed. But this beautiful world insists on making me ‘special’!"

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