“Chand sitaron ke jo khud hon mohtaj,
Bheekh na mango unn ujaalon ki…
Band aankhon se karo aise kaam,
Aankh khul jaye, aankh walon ki…,,
Making his way through the darkness, 60 year old, Amarjeet Singh Chawla, has such achievements to his credit, that a person can normally dream of. He started losing his vision gradually, after he was diagnosed with macular degeneration, an incurable eye disease when he was merely 13. Once wanting to be an airforce pilot, he had to give up on his studies owing to his partial vision. He was handling a small business of lottery tickets in Malad when he fell in love with his sister’s friend and they soon got married.
Life changed for good after his marriage. His wife knew about his condition and the possibility of his becoming completely blind in future but she stood by him through thick and thin. Together, they started an insurance agency and their life was perfectly on track. Real ordeal of his life started at the age of 40, when he lost complete perception of sight. In those darkest days of his life, he struggled through depression and was not willing to step out of the house. While his darkness kept suppressing him to keep to himself, his wife constantly motivated him to look at the brighter side of life.
When he decided to sit back at home, renouncing his life, his wife took it to her head and got him back to life. She made him come back at work. Overwhelmed by everyone’s support, he realised he could still win over all the hardships of life. He felt an urge inside himself to defeat his disability. He did not want to simply walk through his life, but run. So, he started training for the same.
Brimming with the zest to do something extraordinary, he ran his first run when he was 48. In his very first run, Kapil Dev came forward and offered to escort for a while. It proved to be a big confidence boost for him and there has been no looking back since then. The number of half marathons he has run exceeds his age. At 61, he is 72 half marathons old. At All India Swimming Competition, for the disabled, he grabbed the gold in 50 metres free style event. He even holds the world record of being the first visually impaired person to climb the Dolma Pass which rests at 19800 feet. With his strong will power, he has proved that determination can get you through anything.
At this age, he is so full of life and lives every moment being a true optimist. Often called “The Dancing Sardar”, owing to his liveliness, he plans to run at least 101 half marathons in the years to come. He also wishes to set foot on many higher summits to make records and set a remarkable example in front of the world that his ability is far stronger than his disability.
SwachhAbility Run salutes the courage of such bravehearts and celebrates their achievements by sharing their inspirational stories among the people to motivate many others to aim high.
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