Congratulations to Banti Dada. Certainly a great accomplishment. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/95-disabled-JNU-scholar-battles-huge-odds-to-get-PhD/articleshow/49838286.cms NEW DELHI: At a special convocation in the vice-chancellor's office recently, Jawaharlal Nehru University awarded a doctorate degree to Bunty Dada. The proud student struggled to grasp the degree being handed to him by VC S K Sopory, though his eyes shone and his hands moved animatedly towards the document that signified a tremendous victory of mind over matter.
The name inscribed on the doctorate degree was "Akshsansh Gupta". But he is Bunty Dada on the campus of India's top university. Gupta's lower limbs are of no use, his slurred speech is difficult to decipher and his arms have the stiff, awkward flailing of someone not quite in control of his movements. In a system that insensitively rates disability in terms of percentages, the 32-year-old is deemed 95% disabled - he grew up with cerebral palsy. More equipped people would have quailed at the extraordinary hardships Bunty Dada faced in trying to get a "Dr" as a prenomial, but he persevered and that is why the university honoured him with the special convocation, months in advance of the formal ceremony next year. READ ALSO: JNU home to 'anti-national' forces, claims RSS mouthpiece From his room in the Kaveri Hostel, Gupta braved the odds for five years to finish writing his thesis on "Brain Computer Interface", in between travelling to Malaysia to present a paper on his chosen subject of computer science. "I opted for computer science as it is easier for me because of the nature of practicals and laboratory work it entails," says Gupta. Of course, when stated like that, it sounds like a fairly easy achievement. But the words do not reveal that even getting admission into a primary school in his hometown of Jaunpur in east Uttar Pradesh was a challenge. "When I saw my siblings go to school, I wanted to do likewise. But in my condition, which school would admit me?" he says. Then, with admirable lack of rancour, he adds, "In general, in our country the attitude towards people with disabilities is quite negative. The first thing people ask is, 'Kya karega padhke (What will you gain by studying)?'" In his small hostel room, you see a wheelchair, radio set, laptop, piles of books on computers, and in a corner, a garlanded photograph of his mother among statues of Lakshmi, Saraswati and Ganesha. It is with justified regard that he places the picture of his mother, whom he lost in 2011, among the divine beings, for she was one of the two women who determined his destiny. She was the one in the family who insisted the tot who couldn't walk be given an education. The other was Meera Sahu, a teacher who finally got him admitted to school. Gupta is also eternally grateful to Mahajan, the rickshaw puller who ferried him every day to Umanath Singh Institute of Engineering and Technology in Jaunpur, where he pursued a BTech degree in computer science. An illiterate rickshaw puller and a student with physical limitations dreamed an unimaginable future when they travelled the 15 km between home and college every day. "Mahajan and I talked about the world beyond Jaunpur and that is when I decided I want to step out. My family was reluctant, but they eventually agreed, and here I am in Delhi," he says. READ ALSO: Subramanian Swamy as JNU VC: Students threaten protests Piyush Maurya, an MPhil student and his hostel mate at JNU, knows the sort of person Gupta is. "He has an extraordinary mind. He always wanted to prove that disability was a myth," he marvels. And while Maurya says that Gupta mostly refuses to take the help of others, the scholar did benefit from JNU's policy of having two helps in every hostel for those like Gupta who might need their assistance. Gupta, a freshly minted doctor now, is hopeful of getting a job, preferably in the university itself. If JNU obliges, he will be overjoyed. "JNU's atmosphere is such that anyone would like to always live here," he says with a grin. He does grudge the government, though, for framing disability policies without consulting the affected people. "Because we are not vote banks," he explains. Another coverage from The Hindu JNU student Akshansha Gupta with V-C Sudhir Kumar.Photo: Special arrangement A student of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) suffering from severe cerebral palsy has become the only student with the severe disability to complete a Ph.D from the varsity. Akshansha Gupta, who hails from Jaunpur in Uttar Pradesh, is suffering from 95 percent disability but managed to complete his thesis on ‘Brain and Computer interface’. JNU Vice-Chancellor Sudhir Kumar Sopory awarded Mr. Gupta the Ph.D in a special ceremony. Cerebral Palsy affects movement and speech. A person suffering from the disorder has problem with precise motions, such as writing or buttoning a shirt. But against all odds, Mr. Gupta completed his five-year long thesis. His Ph.D subject was “Performance Enhancement of Mental Task Classification: A Study of Combination of Feature Extraction and Selection Methods” from the School of Computer and System Sciences. Happy that his hard work has finally paid off, Gupta is now looking forward to getting a job as a researcher. “I used to work six to eight hours daily. I am now looking forward to getting a job in academics and research field,” Gupta told The Hindu . “I faced a lot of difficulties during my Ph.D, but my topic was very fascinating, it was a motivation and sustaining factor for me to keep working. Also, I received immense support from my supervisor, lab mates and my care giver. I enjoyed all difficulties and took all difficulties as opportunity to learn and develop better understanding,” he added. Gupta’s friends and research scholars at JNU also lauded him. “Now that he has done academically so well, he should get a job,” said Gupta’s friend Awanish Kumar. Gupta had contested for the post of President in JNU Student Union election in 2011. “Anybody who has the knowledge about the intensity of the JNUSU elections will salute his courage,” Kumar added. http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/jnu-student-with-cerebral-palsy-completes-phd/article7893750.ece -- Avinash Shahi Doctoral student at Centre for Law and Governance JNU Register at the dedicated AccessIndia list for discussing accessibility of mobile phones / Tabs on: http://mail.accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/mobile.accessindia_accessindia.org.in Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ To unsubscribe send a message to [email protected] with the subject unsubscribe. 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