For 19-year-old Shehnaz, disability has not affected her progress. Being a first year diploma student of the Vidya Vikas Engineering College, Mysore, she aspires to become an engineer in the future.
She daily travels for about 40 kilometres to reach the college from her native Malavalli Taluk to T Narasipur. She lost her leg in an accident when she was just three. Hailing from a poor family, providing medical care was a challenging task for her family members.
But thanks to the initiative of Rotary Mysore which had provided her free artificial limbs for the last 16 years, she was able to cope better with her disability.
She was also one of the beneficiaries of an artificial limbs distribution programme organised by the Rotary Mysore Mahaveer Artificial Limb Centre on Sunday.
Puttaswamy Gowda, a farmer of Hampapura Hobli, HD Kote Taluk, who had lost both his legs, when his motor bike was knocked down by a lorry in 1991 says, “I was frustrated after I lost my legs in a road accident. Being a sole bread earner in the family, I wanted to take care of my family members. Now, through this artificial limb, I have got a new ray of hope in my life.”
Around 60 disabled persons were provided with artificial limbs.
Dayananda (19) is handicapped since birth due to polio, but most others here have had a leg amputated due to accidents, snake bites and gangerene.
Rotary Mysore President K G Anantharaj Urs said the motto of the Rotary Mysore is to bring back a smile on the faces of the poor and underprivileged by undertaking various community service activities along with their empowerment, education, and health care.
The centre will be conducting camps across Karnataka to reach out to the poor in rural areas. So far, the centre had handed over artificial limbs to 550 persons.
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