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Harish Kotian.
The Hindu
She has ventured bravely where few dare to go; that has been Malini Chib's
strength. Here she talks about her fight with cerebral palsy. Sathya Saran
Malini Chib:Overcoming disability.Photo: Satyen Bordoloi
My first encounter with Malini was through print. She had written an article in
The Times of India , about the sexual rights of the differently abled. This was
perhaps two decades ago, when neither sex nor the disabled were common subjects
in newspapers. I realised that, despite being a journalist and someone who
believed in equal rights for every individual, this was an aspect I had given
little thought to. It was the start of a new awareness, a new understanding.
That has been Malini's strength; to venture bravely where few dare to go.
Refusing to allow an insubordinate body to rule an alert and questioning mind.
Doing more than most able bodied women, in the process.
Malini Chib's early story will be familiar to anyone who has watched a child
unable to grow normally at close quarters. In her case, lack of oxygen at birth
damaged her brain, making her parents and doctors fear for her life, and then
robbing her of the normal milestones of physical development. Refusing to give
up, her parents took her to England where they found doctors who could help get
her back to as close a normal life as was possible.The fact that her brain was
active and normal was a beacon of hope for both the family and for Malini
herself. The fact that she studied not in some secluded little known
institution where brave teachers fought to educate children with physical
deficiencies but in mainstream educational institutions was a minor triumph for
her parents. But Malini struggled with the fact that more debilitating than her
own handicaps was the attitude of fellow students. Yet, her fight had already
begun; the fight that has today helped so many understand the life and
struggles of anyone similarly or otherwise afflicted.
Her presence in Mumbai's St. Xavier's, one of the city's most prestigious
institutions, made it clear that being disabled was not really a handicap. If
given a chance, disability could be overcome by will and achievement. Her
garnering of two Masters Degrees from international universities was another
alert to a society that believed that the disabled were best hidden from view
to be either ignored or cosseted, as the case may be.
Campaign for rights
Taking her battle for equal rights and opportunities for the disabled to the
public forum, Malini wrote articles in the press, fought actively to
restructure the Bill for Right to Education, which, she pointed out, was half
baked and disabled by a complete lack of understanding of the hurdles a
disabled child would face. Her mother Mithu Alur set up The Spastics Society of
India in 1972 to send out a message of hope and equal opportunity to the
families of other children who suffered from cerebral palsy. Taking a cue from
this, Malini formed ADAPT, which would campaign for the Able and Differently
Abled (to live, learn and work) Together.
Malini embodies her belief that the differently abled can do almost everything.
She has, in fact, fulfilled many of her dreams; one dream she holds close still
is "to get married and have children. But that is not going to happen," she
adds matter-of-factly, "because in India the disabled are still treated the
same way as children".
At a reading of my book at the Oxford Book Store, in Mumbai, she organised the
event, was present to welcome guests and invitees, and ensured the reading went
off smoothly. "I think the best part of my job -events manager of Oxford
Bookshop - is meeting authors and interacting with society. I get to meet
authors, filmmakers and the intelligentsia. It was important and necessary for
them to know my capabilities," she asserts. Yet she often finds herself
overlooked by shoppers, who seem to prefer not to notice her. It's a fact of
life she has had to face, and she is less pained by it now. Malini's victories
have been many. In 2004, she campaigned for the inclusion of the disabled in
the Mumbai marathon, taking little note of the initial notice that said dogs
and wheelchairs would not be allowed on the roads during the run.
But with her book, One Little Finger , Malini marks one more victory in the
battle for including the disabled into normal life. The 40,000-word document, a
story of tears and triumphs, of aspirations and successes that took ten years
to write, has been received with awe. Her photograph on the cover, smiling from
her wheelchair, invites the reader to look into her life, and of others like
her, and understand it. It is one of the most significant steps taken to make
the disabled less invisible, and to sensitise a normal person towards empathy,
not sympathy or pity.
Literally, a finger
The book, literally written with one little finger, reads like a film script,
an autobiography that forces one to open both eyes and heart. Little wonder
Malini has been honoured for being a role model and for the Empowerment of
Persons with Disabilities by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment of
Persons with Disabilities. The award presented by the President of India on
December 3 acknowledges that disability is something that needs to be addressed
and the attitude of the abled needs changing. It also helps highlight the life
of a fighter and crusader who on her route to self-sufficiency fought a private
battle at every stage. And thanks to the award many caretakers as well as
disabled themselves, who cannot read, might learn of Malini's fight and find
inspiration and courage from it.
Malini admits that the award had a very powerful impact. Already she has
received calls from across the country. "Disabled people and parents of
disabled have enquirer about me and called to share their experiences of
disability", she says. But despite the award I personally see the long road
Malini must still travel to reach the summit of her battle for inclusion. The
fact that the award was given on December 3, International Day for persons with
Disabilities, is a symptom of the blinkers the government still wears and the
lack of inclusion that still exists.
While the awards for institutions, employers and organisations that empower
people with disabilities could well have been handed out on this day, the
awards for role models and achievers with disabilities would be so much more
meaningful and worthy had it been on Republic day when the Padma and other
awards are given to the abled.
Malini Chib might have overcome her disability but India as a country and the
government in particular, has yet to conquer its mental inertia where the
differently abled are concerned.
With thanks and regards
(Rajesh Asudani)
Assistant General Manager
Reserve Bank of India
Nagpur
Cell: 9420397185
o: +91 712 2806846
R: 2591349
It's not activity that wears out the body and spirit- it's inactivity. Keep
going!"
GUS ECKSTEIN
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