Young voices rise up in harmony…. As I see the shining faces of the children crooning joyously, a sense of completeness fills my being…. So what if they are differently abled and their bodies make them stand apart from normal individuals? Their spirits shine out, strong and true....

Infusing young minds and 'challenged' bodies with a sense of courage and determination is Kolhapur-based Naseema Hurzuk, president, Helpers of the Handicapped (HOH) - the organisation she started in 1984. By pervading their lives with a new meaning, 56-year-old Hurzuk, a simple, sensitive woman, has given them a fresh lease of life…. No wonder then that when one of her young wards inaugurated their new hostel building by untying the ribbon with his foot, his pride is still evident in his voice.

Today, Hurzuk - fondly called 'Naseema didi' - runs her world from a wheelchair…. This feisty lady was born a perfectly normal child, who was very fond of sports, an activity that filled her world till she entered her teens. At the age of 16, while playing kabaddi, she hurt her back and remained for years under treatment, without any proper diagnosis. "For a long time, I felt unwell, experienced backaches, but my love of sports made me hide my illness," says Hurzuk. "However, after a while I began to feel very heavy in my legs. My body trembled, my feet were wobbly…. The X-rays did not show anything and the doctors said the illness was more mental than physical."

On one of her visits to the hospital, unable to figure out why she was experiencing such great physical unease, the hospital staff pulled her by her arm across the room. "It took a great effort to cross that space," she says. "The pain was unbearable and I became unconscious."

The blackness receded but her world had turned dark.... "The pain had subsided," Hurzuk states softly, "but I could not feel anything below my waist and could move only my arms...." Treatment continued and the experts opined that a vertebra had got compressed and that there was a tumour on the cord. Surgery corrected what it could but "I never got my mobility back and I was left a paraplegic for life. I was taken over by a feeling of extreme humiliation. I begged people for poison, I prayed for death. I was looking for mercy killing as a way out of my suffering but unfortunately that is not legally allowed."

Life continued for Hurzuk…but with a tragic difference. For any other person, this might have spelt the end of all dreams. But not for her. Hurzuk's parents, five brothers and sisters were her pillars of strength. Despite adverse situations, she went on to complete her graduation in economics. She represented India in international sporting events for the differently abled and worked with several institutions serving the cause of the disabled.

"I survived only due to the support of my family. My father urged me to make myself so 'potent' that I would not miss out on what life had to offer." He died soon after she was tragically afflicted but his words inspired Hurzuk to take on challenges. Her life took on a new turn when someone told her about the social work done by 'Babu Kaka' (Mr N D Diwan) - who was also handicapped. "He was wheelchair bound but was running an engineering unit and even in those days travelled by aeroplane and drove his own modified car. He inspired me to come to terms with my disability, complete my education and get a job. He taught me how to live with dignity and manage myself."

Then there was no looking back. After graduation, she took up a job in the Central Excise department which she held for about 14 years before she decided to devote her life to the service of the physically challenged. Eventually, she established her own institution, Helpers of the Handicapped, in Kolhapur, the city that was her home. Today, HOH has several units under its umbrella: 'Gharonda', a hostel cum rehabilitation centre; 'Samarth Vidya Mandir', an integrated co-ed primary school; a vocational training centre in Kadamwadi that produces wheelchairs, tricycles, calipers, crutches, other aids and appliances; Handihelp gas agency, a distribution unit that employs a few handicapped persons; 'Dilasa' (Solace) in Pune, a centre for the mentally challenged and 'Swapna Nagari' (Dream land) a comprehensive rehabilitation project in the Sindhudurg district. For its inmates, HOH provides an extremely user-friendly environment as ramps replace staircases, toilets are redesigned and attention is paid to everyday details.

Accompanied by a personal assistant to help her 'move' around with relative ease, Hurzuk has worked relentlessly with the single-minded pursuit of reaching out to the disabled and rehabilitating them. Having authored Chakachi Khurchi, (a work that has been published in English as Naseema - The Incredible Story and in Gujarati and Telugu), she does not hesitate to give a personal account of the trauma she went through while she was fighting despair and chasing hope. "I want to remove the disability from their minds," she says. "I try to put a confident smile on their faces."

She has transformed the lives of several of her wards, who shunned by more normal relatives, find a safe harbour at her institution. "It is most important to be independent," she emphasises. "I try and imbibe in them the necessary skills and confidence to lead a successful life. If the healthy and the handicapped join hands in different ventures, tough tasks become easier."

Lack of access is of course a big problem not only for the disabled who have ventured out into the world, but more so for the large number of people who are confined to their homes. "Parents in rural areas still hesitate to bring their children with disability out in the open. It's the age-old bias of any handicap being looked upon as a retribution for past sins. This has to change," she remarks.

Accolades and prizes came to the socially committed woman who is a shining example of how life's biggest tragedies can be turned into mere hiccups. "After winning a prize or a citation, I am happy that what we are doing is recognised. But I go back to my work with a sense of increased responsibility…. There is so much still to be done. The first things that the physically disabled often notice when they move out are steps…. We want a right to access that will throw open the doors of our world," she states.

A few years ago, moved by the absence of a decent tar road for the physically challenged children from the HOH, the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had directed the public works department (PWD), Maharashtra, to construct a tar road on top priority. This was only after Hurzuk had made an appeal to the PM through a national daily for an improvement in the condition of the 2.5 km stretch of rocky road that the 100-odd physically challenged children from the HOH had to trod daily to reach their integrated school-cum-rehabilitation centre in Uchagaon.

On the maidan, under the azure sky, I can see boys in blue batting and bowling - with a drive and agility often seen in international arenas. The only difference being that they clutch at the ball or the bat with stumps or run with an awkward gait…. Does that lessen their joy in any way? Not one bit…. And, cheering them on from the makeshift pavilion is Hurzuk…always there, making a difference.