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Steps toward happiness: how Artificial Limb Centre’s holistic care extends beyond prosthetic support

Brig C N Satish, Commandant of AlC, said that nearly 80,000 people including serving soldiers, families, veterans and even civilians have been rehabilitated at their centre.

4 min readPuneMay 20, 2026 09:14 PM IST

Pune Steps toward happiness: how Artificial Limb Centre’s holistic care extends beyond prosthetic support

Twenty-seven year old Arti Rangar with her mother Guddi Rangar (Express Photo)

“I feel I have the will to be happy,” says 27-year-old Arti Rangar from Dehradun, who is in Pune for a check-up of her prosthesis at the Artificial Limb Centre, a premier institution of the Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS). What began as a case of food poisoning that turned fatal for her aunt, has been a long and difficult journey for Arti, who was a four-year-old then.

“Due to severe food poisoning, my aunt passed away but in my case it restricted blood flow and led to tissue death. So due to gangrene I had to undergo both forearm and below knee amputation,” Arti recalled.

Surgeons at ALC Pune were able to fit her with artificial prosthesis that helped Arti walk and move with greater confidence. She was even trained to use a bionic hand for her dominant right hand but Arti says she doesn’t feel the need for upper limb prosthesis. Using a pen with ease, she demonstrates how she can bring both elbows together to pick up a pen and sign her name. “See, I can write so well,” says the cheerful youngster, who is now preparing for a competitive examination.

Surg Vice Adm Arti Sarin, Director General Armed Forces Medical Services interacting with 14-year-old Zubiya (Express Photo)

With a BSc in Maths from Delhi, Arti is pursuing a masters’ course and is studying for the Staff Selection Commission. “My daughter has faced several hardships but now with the artificial prosthesis she is moving around confidently and even has plans to drive a car,” Arti’s mother Guddi Rangar said.

At another end of ALC that celebrated its 82nd Raising Day, marking 82 years of rehabilitating and empowering differently-abled veterans, service personnel and even civilians, Surg Vice Admiral Arti Sarin, Director General, AFMS, interacted with 14-year-old Zubiya who was born with a congenital deformity that left her legs severely crooked.

Prosthetic surgeons explained that she was successfully operated upon and her legs were now expected to grow proportionately with her age. Zubiya’s mother Yasmin admitted that she feels immense relief seeing her daughter walk with the help of artificial legs. “It has been a year since the surgery and she needs crutches to support her while walking and we are very excited with this step by step progress,” she said. Zubiya, whose favourite subject is English and is a student of a Pune-based school, also smiled happily as she walked confidently with her artificial legs and crutches.

Brig C N Satish, Commandant of AlC, said that nearly 80,000 people including serving soldiers, families, veterans and even civilians have been rehabilitated at their centre. ALC was set up with the aim to meet the prosthetic and orthotic needs of disabled personnel of the armed forces. Armed with a humane and patient centric outlook the facility was extended to civilians as well. Trauma is one of the leading causes of disability, while many other injuries result from mine blasts and road traffic accidents.

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Lt Col Parmeshwar Reddy, prosthetic surgeon, said that along with the ortho team they were engaged in the rehabilitative care of amputee patients. “Then whether it is from basic prosthesis for day to day activities to advanced ones, each patient receives care tailored to their needs,” he said.

Anuradha Mascarenhas

Anuradha Mascarenhas is a Senior Editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune. With a career spanning three decades, she is one of the most respected voices in Indian journalism regarding healthcare, science and environment and research developments. She also takes a keen interest in covering women's issues . Professional Background Education: A gold medalist in Communication and Journalism from Savitribai Phule Pune University and a Master’s degree in Literature. Author: She authored the biography At The Wheel Of Research, which chronicles the life and work of Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, the former Chief Scientist at the WHO. Key Focus: She combines scientific accuracy with storytelling, translating complex medical research into compelling public and human-interest narratives. Awards and Recognition Anuradha has won several awards including the Press Council of India's national award for excellence in journalism under the gender based reporting category in 2019 and the Laadli Media award (gender sensitivity -2024). A recipient of the Lokmat journalism award (gender category-2022), she was also shortlisted for the RedInk awards for excellence in journalism-2021. Her debut book At The Wheel Of Research, an exclusive biography of Dr Soumya Swaminathan the inaugural chief scientist of World Health Organisation was also nominated in the Popular Choice Category of JK Paper AUTHER awards. She has also secured competitive fellowships including the Laadli Media Fellowship (2022), the Survivors Against TB – New Research in TB Media Fellowship (2023) and is part of the prestigious 2025 India Cohort of the WomenLift Health Leadership Journey.” Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) 1. Cancer & Specialized Medical Care "Tata Memorial finds way to kill drug-resistant cancer cells" (Nov 26, 2025): Reporting on a breakthrough for triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of the disease. Discipline, diet and purpose; How a 97-year-old professor defies ageing'' (Nov 15, 2025) Report about Prof Gururaj Mutalik, the first Head of Department at Pune's B J Government Medical College who at 97 credits his longevity to healthy habits and a strong sense of purpose. 2. Environmental Health (The "Breathless Pune" Series) Long-term exposure even to 'moderate' air leads to chronic heart, lung, kidney issues" (Nov 26, 2025): Part of an investigative series highlighting that even "safe" pollution levels are damaging to vital organs. "For every 10 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 level, there was 6-8% jump in medicine sales" (Nov 23, 2025): Using commercial data to prove the direct link between air quality and respiratory illnesses in Pune. 3. Lifestyle & Wellness News "They didn't let cancer, diabetes and heart disease stop them from travelling" (Dec 22, 2025): A collaborative piece featuring survivors who share practical tips for traveling with chronic conditions. At 17, his BP shot up to 200/120 mmHG; Lancet study flags why child and teen hypertension doubled between 2000 and 2020'' (Nov 12,2025)--A report that focusses on 17-year-old-boy's hypertensive crisis and reflects the rising global trend of high blood pressure among children and adolescents. 4. Scientific Recognition & Infrastructure For promoting sci-comm, gender diversity: IUCAA woman prof highlighted in Nature" (Nov 25, 2025): Covering the global recognition of Indian women scientists in gender studies and physics. Pune researchers find a spiral galaxy like the Milky Way from early universe'' (December 3, 2025)- A report on how Indian researchers discovered a massive galaxy that existed when the universe was just 1.5 billion years old , one of the earliest to have been observed so far. Signature Beat: Health, Science & Women in Leadership Anuradha is known for her COVID-19 reportage, where she was one of the first journalists to provide detailed insights into the Covishield and Covaxin trials. She has a dedicated interest in gender diversity in health and science, often profiling women researchers who are breaking the "leaky pipeline" in STEM fields. Her writing style is scrupulous, often featuring interviews with top-tier scientists and health experts from various institutions. ... Read More

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