“ ‘Pain changes people’, they say. Yes, it does and it does for good. A change that breaks the bubble you were living in, puts you in a vulnerable situation where you just don’t know what’s happening to you and clearly don’t know why it has happened to you….
7th December, 2013 was the day that changed everything in my life.That day told me life is not just a joyful ride. There are many hurdles that we have to go through. That day was the day I met with an accident that totally changed the way I looked at almost everything. With the many questions unanswered, with the new person I was slowly transforming into, with the new experiences everyday, with a new life altogether, it was one heck of painful time that I went through. Everyday and every night was a struggle and even more when I thought of the responsibilities I had to fulfill.
I am Shanmukha Rao Dharmana, from Hyderabad. My age is 27 years. Unfortunately I met with an accident when I was on my way to office. My foot was crushed under a lorry and I realised, there and then, that I had lost my leg. I was helped by an auto driver to reach hospital for first aid. While shifting from one hospital to another, I was fortunate to have my career guide and wellwisher, B.R. Venkatesh by my side. He was the one who motivated me and I am alive due to his support. Due to multiple fractures in my leg and foot, my leg was amputated and I became a below knee amputee.
Amputation was painful, but what worried me the most was the responsibility of taking care of my parents. For their sake, I never gave up and bounced back stronger than ever. I got my artificial limb at Dakshin Rehabilitation Centre and I could touched the ground with my feet again. During this while, Major DP Singh became a great source of inspiration for me to get into running. Eventually running and cycling became my passion that drove me to prove that nothing is impossible. I ran my first marathon after the accident with an artificial limb on 24th August 2014, in Airtel Hyderabad Marathon 5KM run and since then, I have never stopped. Till date, I have participated in 39 events but I aspire to reach greater heights.
I was fortunate to meet Aditya Mehta, who directed me towards cycling and I have covered more than 5000 km till date. A major achievement has been that I finished Infinity Ride from Bangalore to Hyderabad 570 km from 12.08.2015 to 15.08.2015. Marri Laxman Reddy gaaru has been one of my best supporters and the one I have covered most of my miles with. Cycling and running gave me immense motivation in order to live long and strong. Personally, it gives me a lot of confidence and motivation to achieve more in my life. I believe that disability is all about body not about the mind.
There were many lessons learnt. I learnt that I was stronger than I actually thought I was and that I could fight back all odds. Every time I felt low, I pushed my boundaries and made myself able to overcome anything. My inner self is not the only one who struggled to be the person I’m today. My family and well wishers hustled along. I will always be thankful to my sister, Vaishali Kaipa, who is a God’s gift to me and my brother in law, Raj Kaipa. They supported me and cared for me with all their love. Those who helped me or I should say gave me a rebirth, thank you might be a small word when compared to the three years of love,patience and support you’ve shown, but today I want to thank you all from the bottom of my heart. My main support in all aspects has been Gopal Bhargav ( I consider him next to God), Sowmya Deepa and other team mates from Vanguards Organization. To the person who stands above all, my doctor Maheshwar Reddy Lakkireddy who gave me this rebirth, I’m so grateful to you.
I would conclude with the following words,
As I pedal my cycle upwards it takes pain and struggle to reach the peak which is followed by a slope where I sit back and Relax! Life shows an upward tide where we struggle through few grey days. And then?? It’s all success and happiness.”
The turning point in life of those who succeed usually comes at some point of crisis. Shanmukha Rao Dharmana was not intimidated by a sudden, drastic change in his life. He stayed strong for his family and went on to achieve so much in life. SwachhAbility salutes the willpower of this wonderful human being.
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