I was not born with a disability, like other children, I was born normal. But, when I was eight months old, my parents took me to the doctor for a polio injection. There was a problem of paralysis in just three days of injection. It is not that only I was paralyzed, at that time many children around me faced this problem.
When everyone's parents wanted to know the reason behind it, the negligence of the doctor who injected polio came to the fore. It happened that many children including me were given injections of expiry date. What was then, I was treated by another doctor. See my misfortune, the doctor who was treating the paralysis breathed his last when he had cleared me from 80 percent paralyzed. Since then I have never been able to stand on my feet. In a way, this is the beginning of my disability life.
When I was five years old and I regained consciousness. Then I saw that my father used to drink excessively. The atmosphere of the house was also not right. Due to this I could not even get my elementary education, while my family was complete and financially strong. Due to his father's alcohol addiction, the financial condition of our family kept getting worse. There was no support of any kind from relatives with us.
Due to the torture of the father, one day the mother told me and my siblings that she was leaving the house, at that time I was 10 years old. Since all of us siblings were afraid of the father's behavior, we stopped the mother from leaving the house. At that time the financial condition is also not good, mother opened a utensil shop somehow and since I was the elder in the family, I decided to take care of the family including the shop. In this way, at a very young age, a big responsibility had come on me. Only after a year, father passed away.
The family could not survive even from a pot shop. Even at times only one meal was available to the family. But, we did not lose heart, and by not spreading our hands in front of anyone, we were satisfied only in that. It is said that it is late in the house of God but it is not dark. There came a time when the work of the shop started going well. It was the result of the hard work of the family.
Destiny had written something else in my destiny. At the age of 14, I got paralyzed in both the legs due to injury. Due to this he had to stay in bed for three years. That period seems to me worse than death, I used to wish death from God all the time. At that time my brother used to handle the shop. Luck did not give up here too and just two months after I was on bed rest, my brother, who was handling the shop, started suffering from epileptic seizures.
As a result, he used to fall anywhere at any place and once again the work of the shop came to a standstill. Even the expenses for the treatment of both the siblings could not be met. Still, I took care of myself and took courage again and took the responsibility of the family.
After I took over the responsibility again, the work of the shop was back on track. Then the brother and himself got the treatment done at the expense of the shop. Even the marriage of one sister Gauri Goyal was also done according to her status.
I gradually came in contact with other differently-abled people from Rishikesh and surrounding areas. Then I realized that disability is not a curse, it can be used as my own strength. I am no longer confined to the shop. She started to strengthen herself even after going out of the shop. Ignoring many things of the people, as well as fulfilling the responsibilities of the family, I started moving ahead. I learned to drive a car. Learned to swim, learned to play guitar. I got encouragement when for the first time in my life I played guitar among about 400 people. I got a lot of appreciation for this too.
Through a camp, differently-abled people were given an opportunity to play badminton. From there I started playing badminton. Started practice from August 2017. However, there was no good badminton court in the city. Coach Jitendra Bisht taught me and I practiced with the children in the street and in the locality.
Uttarakhand government appointed me as the brand ambassador of Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao campaign to work for free children in the year 2020. On December 03, World Divyang Day, District Magistrate Dehradun honored me with an award.
Helping the poor and needy people since the year 2019. In the year 2020, Neerja Goyal established the Devbhoomi Charitable Trust. Presently, the trust is providing one-time meals to the poor, beggars, sages and saints at Triveni Ghat every Friday by distributing text materials, clothes to poor children. Apart from this, the trust also helps poor girls in their education and marriage. The trust distributed free food kits to about 800 families during the lockdown. In winter, collecting old clothes and setting up stalls for the poor people.
I get a lot of support from my sister Nupur Goyal in this work, whatever I am able to do, Nupur Goyal has an important role, while taking me to people through wheel chair.
Achievements:
Won bronze medal in National Para Sitting Volleyball held in Jaipur Rajasthan in the year 2017.
Won bronze medal in the National Para Badminton held in Banaras in the year 2018.
Won bronze medal in shooting competition at LPU University held in Punjab in the year 2018.
Gold medal in para-badminton and silver medal in wheelchair race in Khelo India held in Dehradun in the year 2018.
Won Silver Medal in Para-Badminton in Khel Mahakumbh in Rudrapur Uttarakhand in the year 2019, Silver in Javelin Throw.
Silver Medal in Javelin Throw at LPU University held in Punjab in the year 2019.
In the year 2019, gold medal in para-badminton competition held in Dehradun Uttarakhand, bronze medal in javelin throw.
Participated in International Para Badminton in Thailand in the year 2019, Represented India.
In the year 2020, gold medal in para badminton, bronze medal in javelin throw in Khel Mahakumbh held in Dehradun Uttarakhand.
Comments