Steering for glory: Paraplegic woman sets out on national tour

CHENNAI: Gleaming bikes from a vintage Yezdi to imported Harley Davidson waited at Satyabhama University alongside a customised, white SUV. As Deepa Malik exchanged her wheelchair for the steering wheel, there was deafening applause.
Deepa Malik, 43, set off from Sathyabhama University on Sunday, to set a new record – the longest pan-India drive by a paraplegic woman. Wheelchair bound after 3 major spinal surgeries and with 183 stitches on her upper spinal column, she will attempt to cover a distance of more than 2,000 km across six states in 10 days.After flagging off from Chennai, she and co-driver Prateek Gahlaut will conclude their journey at Gurgaon on September 29, after driving through Bangalore, Pune, Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Jaipur.
“Disability is never a barrier and I want to spread this message across the nation,” said Malik. “It was in March that I was felicitated as 'Inspiration Icon' by Satyabhama University. When I interacted with the engineering students, I requested them to create something which would bring a change, a design which would help people with disabilities. The students designed a car which could be used by the physically challenged and came up with the idea of Will on Wheels (WOW),” she continued. She also emphasized the importance of today’s youth in bringing about change.
Malik is an avid adventure sports enthusiast, international para-athlete and coach, swimmer and a motivational speaker. She has set 3 records in the Limca book -- for being the first paraplegic woman to swim for an hour against the current of Yamuna, driving 58km on a bike and driving to one of the world’s highest mountain passes, Khardungla in Ladakh. “If I can do it, so can others with disabilities,” she said.
In 2012, she was given the Arjuna Award for her records and haul of medals in various national and international para-athletic tournaments.
“It’s tough to match her energy and will power,” said Mariazeena Johnson, managing director of Satyabhama University. “She was completely involved in the project right from charting out the driving route to test driving the vehicle, but never said it was tough or challenging. Her enthusiasm is infectious,” she added.
Pratik Somani, an engineering student who was part of the six-member group that designed the car said, “We conducted a survey among disabled people and tried to focus on their difficulties while driving a vehicle. It took about a month to conceptualize the changes.”