Life with a difference

Footprints to follow are not laid by the people who live ordinarily but by the people who lead extraordinarily; exhibiting grit and determination when faced with challenges of life. This truly motivates and inspires generations to accept and navigate challenges of life. Life is not easy when a person has some deformity right from the birth. It is really difficult for the affected individual as well as the immediate family to come to terms with the reality of life. In our part of the world these individuals with genetic disorders are considered as a liability and there is a perception in the society that these individuals cannot excel in life and perform up to the expectations.

This negative perception has seriously compounded and aggravated the miseries of people who suffer from severe congenital disorders. So, when a person suffering from an inborn disability makes an exemplary mark in his/her life by traversing through the most arduous journey, his/her ordeal needs to be shared with common masses to motivate others to follow the suit.

The defining story of Amit Tickoo

Amit Tickoo was born to Avtar Krishan Tickoo and Lalita Tickoo in the year 1982 at the famous town of Mattan; is a monumental town where the world renowned Sun Temple is situated. The addition of new born child as a new entrant to the family brings infinite joy and happiness to the family and same degree of happiness might have been experienced by Amit Tickoo’s parents as well. But least they would have expected in the wildest of their dreams that their son would be a differently–abled child. When Amit was diagnosed with severe locomotory disability – Post Polio Paraparesis, a disorder which severely restricts the movement of hind limbs, it literally came as a bolt from blue to the parents and they initially struggled to accept the reality that Amit would not be in a position to walk of his own throughout his life.

Unlike majority of the parents of specially-abled children, his parents made a firm resolve, and refused to succumb to the challenges of life. They prioritised Amit’s education and were of firm convection that educational attainment will ease out the sufferings of their child. The first step which his parents initiated was to admit Amit in Lyceum Public School, Mattan, where Amit studied up to class 2^nd. The pain inflicting agony, however, was that Amit was totally dependent on the support and was therefore ferried by family members to attend the school. As Amit was coping up to accommodate himself in the mainstream class room and things started moving in the right direction for him, the sudden exodus of Kashmiri pundits in 1990 from the valley to the plains of Jammu and other parts of the country further compounded the problems of Amit.

He and his family had now to re-adjust in the hostile and extreme weather conditions of these regions. Amit’s father was a central government employee and the family was on the move due to his father’s on and off postings. When Amit’s father was transferred to Lakhanpur in 1993, Amit was admitted in class 3^rd in Cosmic Heart School there. The best deal of admitting him in this school was that the school was functioning in the same building wherein Amit’s family was residing. From 1990-1993 as a walking support, Amit was provided with braces which he used up to class 8^th . In 1996 braces were replaced with clippers and stick. The turning point in Amit’s life was when his parents decided to send him to a far off senior secondary school located at a distance of 15 Km in Kathua district.

This was a decisive step on the part of Amit’s family as they firmly stood behind Amit to lead an independent life, with no or minimal support from his family. So travelling 15 km daily to reach the school and that too in public transport gave Amit much needed confidence that he too can lead his life like normal human beings. He, therefore, used his disability as source of strength to take challenges of life head on.

In this senior secondary school, Amit was very well accommodated by his peers and school mates and never felt isolated or excluded because of his disability. The interesting thing was that Amit’s classroom was on the third floor of the building and his classmates made a proper schedule to take him upstairs into the classroom, and downstairs at the time of departure. Amit conveyed to the author that this senior secondary school had an everlasting influence in developing resilience against the odds of life and shaped his life in becoming a an independent person. Amit has done masters in tourism and has also done a diploma in French Language.

Amit was recruited as a teacher in 2009 and got shortlisted in both Jammu and Kashmir divisions. He was counseled by people who mattered the most to opt for Jammu division due to volatile situation in Kashmir division but he trusted his own intuition and preferred Kashmir. Since then Amit is discharging his duties in district Anantnag.

Amit’s unique endeavours

Though Amit is suffering from 75% certified disability, he has never led his disability become an impediment and often does the stuff which a normal person would think twice before doing. Amit is an ardent traveler and explores off beat destinations, be it the far off places of Ladakh , and Kupwara. Amit often travels to unexplored locations and drives his vehicle even through the tough passes like Zojila, Razdan and Sadna. While narrating to the author, Amit said that it is his disability which is motivating him to push to the extreme. He wants to set an example for the people like him that with positive energy and conviction, they too can lead a life of satisfaction and contentment.

Amit’s love for music is of the next level. He has soothing vocal cords and at times tries to sing the melodious Bollywood songs. In the professional capacity, Amit like any other teacher fairly does justice with his teaching assignment without letting his disability to become an obstacle. He commands highest degree of respect among his colleagues and students.

 Dr. Mushtaq Rather is an educator.