Hi friends, I am vatsal shah from baroda, gujrat.
Want to share worst experience of my life. I have lost my eyesight due to viral fever.this incident happened when I came in tenth standard in year 1998.i became national champion in roller speed skating with three gold medals in seventh standard.wanted to become engineer and go to u.s.a for masters.had this dream since third standard. I use to collect money which my grandfather use to give me on my birthday since childhood.collected quite big amount.after losing eyesight, my parents never allowed me to go out on my own.i have not learned independent mobility like other blind or visually impaired friends.i completed masters.went to amdavad blind school in vastrapur area.even after returning, I did not master independent mobility.i became very angry.my friends also remarked that I am not courageous. four years back, I went tomumbai alone taking cane or my walking stick.my parents were shocked and surprised.i had not informed anybody at home.one Sunday afternoon, when all three family members were sleeping, I left house without informing anybody.hired rickshaw and went to railway station.boarded train for Mumbai after buying ticket.i have never travelled alone by train before.my plan was just to reach Mumbai station and then return to baroda.i told people sitting around me that I had left home without informing anybody.few people had mobile phone with them.they insisted that I should phone my parents and inform them as they all must be worrying and searching.so I phoned them and informed them.they were shocked but now relieved.they must have phoned my aunt or cousins staying in Mumbai.when I reached Mumbai, before train stopped, I could hear their voice.they had come to station to receive me.i wanted to return to baroda but they took me home.after couple of days, they came with me to baroda to drop me. If I had not taken daring to venture out alone, I would never have learned travelling alone in life.also traveling by train.two years back, I went to amdavad, gandhinagar and anand alone by bus.realised that there are three types of bus: local, inter city and Volvo.i returned home safely.i myself bought ticket at counter.all this I would not have come to know if I had not taken daring and travel alone. My family members are now confident of my traveling alone which they were not earlier.i never used money earlies as I was not able to identify currency notes.i also do shopping and sometimes go out on my own.also go to work place sometimes on my own.now I have gained enough confidence and experience. Nothing is impossible.i even use laptop and mobile phone with talking software.read newspaper in laptop. Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ To unsubscribe send a message to [email protected] with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in Disclaimer: 1. Contents of the mails, factual, or otherwise, reflect the thinking of the person sending the mail and AI in no way relates itself to its veracity; 2. AI cannot be held liable for any commission/omission based on the mails sent through this mailing list..
