Stories
Maheshbhai
Maheshbhai came to an MSS camp in the 1990s as a young man. A milkman by profession, he lost his leg in a road accident and consequently was deprived of his only source of livelihood.
A life of desolation followed till his arrival at the camp one day. What ensued was not only a new limb but also a new life, one of hope and renewed energy.
Today, he lives a life of complete economic independence, cycling tirelessly for almost 14 kilometers everyday with his new limb, selling milk. He also uses the opportunity to inform people about MSS and the camps. He is a committed volunteer attending every camp in the country. A jovial character with a never-say-die spirit, he sets alight our camps with his brilliant display of song and dance.
Payal
Crossing the road to buy a bottle of milk at the tender age of 8, Payal, who belongs to Uttar Pradesh, was hit by a truck and lost one leg above the knee.
The other leg was also very severely damaged. She came to the camp and her life was magically transformed. She went back to pursue her studies and finished her education. She is now happily married and blessed with a daughter.
Ranjit
Ranjit, a tribal boy, was born without a limb. He first came to our camp at the age of 1. Since he had lived in a remote, interior tribal area, he was terrified to suddenly be in the midst of so many new faces. Therefore, we had to take him to a separate, less crowded area to teach him how to walk with his new limb.
While running behind strategically located chocolates, he took his first steps. Today, he is one of the fastest runners in his school. He is also one of our most dedicated volunteers.
Mrunal
Mrunal was born with a congenital defect; he did not have a right leg from above the knee. A doctor soon advised his mother that he would never be able to walk and that she should poison the newborn. The resolute mother shot back saying that she would do whatever it took to bring him up.
They first came to an MSS camp when Mrunal was 6. After a number of tearful attempts and some tricks young Mrunal learnt how to walk. Then, for 12 years, he would visit the camp every year to get a new limb to fit his growing body. The frequent visits made him sensitive towards the noble cause and the suffering involved.
After turning 18, Mrunal, who is now a mechanical engineer and runs his own business, became a full-time volunteer at the camps and continues to be one till date. He was recently blessed with a baby girl. He says he feels a rare sense of joy and contentment while serving at the camps.
Jasuben
Jasuben lost her leg due to medical negligence and faulty diagnosis. An active volunteer at the camp now, with a strong emotional bonding, she has travelled far and wide throughout India as a part of the MSS camps.
She takes great pride in demonstrating how she fetches water from the well, fills it in a pitcher (matka) and can carry 40 kilograms of weight on her head, with the limb that she has got at MSS.
Aspi
Gurvinder
Inside Tihar Jail, Delhi
The idea of going to India’s most infamous prison came to Ms. Abhilasha Singhvi while working on amputees from the Sabarmati Jail at a camp in Ahmedabad in 2006.
When asked in a lighter vein by her if he would use the new found freedom to flee from prison, an inmate with a newly fitted prosthetic said, ‘I would never do anything which would bring disrepute to you.’ This touching comment inspired her to formally apply for permission to hold a rehabilitation camp inside the Tihar Jail.
It was the first time ever in the history of the Jail that a camp of this nature was held there. The most gratifying and heartwarming reward came in the form of a comment made by one of the inmates; he said that if they were ever released, they would like to offer their services to MSS in any way that they could. Such is the healing power of human service.
Extreme top: A few of the beneficiaries at Tihar Jail
Bottom left: Former Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court Shri Mukul Mudgal and the then DG Tihar, Shri B. K. Gupta interacting with an inmate fitted with a polio caliper.
Bottom right: A life convict walking his first steps with his new limb
“Abhilashaji has made the prisoners of Tihar feel that society cares for them. The compassion of Abhilashaji and her volunteers has made them feel remorse for the crimes committed by them. We would like to have many more such camps.”
Shri B. K. Gupta
Former Police Commissioner, New Delhi
Former Director General, PRISONS (Tihar)