Equal Nation

While It was those days when I was working, one bright sunny Monday morning I decided to use the public transport to work, as I had missed my company provided transport. Luckily I got a seat and sat down and took my mobile connected my hands free and started listening to my some of my favourite tunes and enjoying every bit of the music which was soothing to my ears and my mind.

Suddenly I noticed a middle aged lady in the bus, who was blind and wanted to reach a particular destination, she was asking the conductor whether her stop had come and made a note of what he told and correctly got down when her stop came and even thanked the conductor and told him god bless you. This was like an eye opener for me because I always felt physically challenged people needed sympathy from us, but this lady proved me wrong, physically challenged people don’t need our sympathy but our empathy.
The lady whom I saw was very confident, independent and had made her place in the world without depending on others,.

This clearly tells us that a mere incapability cannot stop a person from achieving his/her goals and reminds normal human beings like us to think how fortunate enough we are to be gifted….

If looked at the broader picture, is our country equipped enough to cater to the physically challenged. Are the buildings equipped with ramps and elevators which are functional at all times? We all know that specific seats are reserved for the physically challenged. But how many of us actually offer them one when they get into a bus? Are there separate facilities on the streets for such people? From that day’s incident I made sure that I did not sit on the seat reserved for physically challenged and also told the same to my friends.

Keeping the above aside, how many of us actually go out and help such a person on the street who is in need? This portrays that a change in attitude has still not come about. It is said that equality is the key for the progress of any nation. Although, it is agreed that special provisions have to be there for them. At the same time, it does not mean that they are not an equal part of the society. So, where does the nation stand when it comes to disability?

There are many things to learn from a physically challenged person apart from being just sympathetic to them... Am I right !!