Deepa Malik was told one fine day that she had only “seven days to celebrate walking”. That she would never walk again. Repetitive tumours in the spinal cord were threatening to pull the rug from under her feet. Life would change. And drastically so. Deepa, however, had other plans. The fighter wouldn’t let life slip away. She would take charge. From creating wooden ramps in her house to getting a wheelchair and a post-surgical spinal treatment bed, she prepared for the fightback. After all, for her, there wasn’t much difference between a pair of spectacles and a wheelchair — both were “assistance aids”.
Life did change. And, dramatically so. The paraplegic champ (‘chest below paralysis’ reads her Twitter bio) went on to win a silver in the Rio Paralympic Games (shot-put F53 category) in 2016. This, after taking to sports when she was 36, tired of being called “a patient”, and after holding a javelin or shot-put for the first time at the age of 39. Her tale would make you believe, as moderator Boria Majumdar pointed out at the Mind Over Body talk for YFLO at Taj Bengal last month, that “dreams do come true. Miracles do come true”.
The hour-long session was an insight into Deepa’s grit and brute willpower. You’d be forced to wonder how could someone be so cheerful in the face of such debilitating disability? Cheerful enough to crack a joke: “God found my love for wheels so much that he put me on a wheelchair!”
A biking enthusiast, she pointed out that “the whole journey of the quest of being a biker” is what she was “most passionate about”. That’s what “arranged” her marriage to Colonel (retd.) Bikram Singh Malik. That’s also what she turns to often when she is stressed, besides off-roading. She is a keen rallyist, too, and knows how to ride Bullets, drive jeep and tractors! She has swum in the Yamuna “to be recognised as a world-class swimmer”. And, even after all this, she doesn’t think she is a “superwoman”. “No one can motivate you unless you do it yourself,” she said to a roomful of men, women and kids, all in “awe” of her.
Just then she cracked them up with: ‘Hum jahan khade ho jaate hai line wahin se shuru hoti hai!’
WE LOVE DEEPA!
(L-R) Advay Nathany, Manan Goenka, Aarav Himatsingka, Shreyans Tibrewalla and Advay Poddar found everything about Deepa “amazing”. “She is a Paralympic champion. Positivity is what we take back from her. She loves biking and she loves cars. Today she taught us that you can do anything!” chorused the boys.
(L-R) Vasundhara Bagri, Sharannya Bajoria and Yashvi Chaudhary learnt that “no matter how many problems you have, you face it, try harder and do not lose hope”.
YFLO chairperson Puja Goenka found a “hero” in Deepa Malik. “A hero who has belied all conventions and stereotypes and emerged successful in spite of facing tremendous physical and social challenges. Hearing her was an experience that will remain a constant source of inspiration.... She is a living example that nothing is impossible if one has the willpower. I salute her indomitable spirit,” she said.
DEEPA-ISMS
♦ I identified my potential and turned them into crazy activities and presented it to the world to break the stereotypical image of a woman in disability.
♦ Each one of us should be able to identify our sources of happiness and fall back on it to rejuvenate.
♦ You just have to set your priorities right. Well-preparedness has kept my level of stress low.
♦ What is a problem? It is getting caught in a situation. You have to change the situation and changing the situation will only happen if you are accepting the change and acceptance of change will only come if you have learnt about the change.
♦ Look for solutions. And solutions will only come if you are ready to adapt to certain changes. I get into the solution mode fast.
Text: Saionee Chakraborty
Pictures: B. Halder
WELLNESS DAY OUT: Nutritionist and t2 columnist Hena Nafis and salsa pro Aditya Upadhya at Hena’s Eat Good Food pop-up at The Solace Fete, a wellness do held at the Sunny Park address on February 11. Besides Aditya and Hena, the group of experts who shared with the members tips for a fitter life included Mrinalini Mukherjee (body balance), Chandini Singh Siddiq (Pilates) and Mrityunjoy Roy (tae kwon do). “Solace, a time for the body and soul, is all about wellness, which comes from inner peace and well-being. The Solace Fete is our way of presenting a day of wellness to the city,” said Yashodhara Khaitan, director, Solace. Pictures: Rashbehari Das
“It is wonderful to be part of The Solace Fete. From yoga to tae kwon do, everything is under one roof here. The USP of Solace is its aristocracy, it is a very high-end gym,” said actor Parambrata Chattopadhyay, who works out in the Solace gym. “I work out to maintain a lean and toned physique. For movies, the toned shoulders and arms look good,” he added.
