Poornima Iyengar's day begins in the wee hours of the morning as she rushes through her routine to make it to her 8.15-am German intensive course. After five hectic hours of class, Poornima is off to M G Road to her job as executive customer care officer. Evening sees her at home, giving French tuition to youngsters while late nights are spent catching up with her homework and translation assignments. A busy enough schedule for anyone, one would think. Especially so if the person in question can only move about in a wheelchair, like Poornima does.The first thought that comes to mind on meeting this spirited and vivacious girl is: `Why her?' But Poornima herself has stopped asking this question. ``I spent many of my growing up years wallowing in self-pity,'' begins the girl who was struck by polio when she was only 18 months old. ``I was born normal. But the anti-polio vaccine given to me came from a defective batch, and I was struck with the disease. Initially, my entire body was affected but after yearsof treatment from various doctors, Dr Merchant from Mumbai cured me to such an extent that I became perfectly normal waist upwards.''Nevertheless, most schools refused her admission on the grounds of her handicap, thus sowing the seeds of the complex that plagued her through most of her schooling years. Ultimately, it was St Mira's English Medium School that opened its gates for her, complete with an attendant to see to her throughout the day. ``Till about Std VIII, I would feel miserable about my condition. Then I went to Bangalore for further treatment. That was the turning point in my life. I saw thousands of people whose condition was worse than mine. That's when I thanked God, for probably the first time in my life,'' she continues.``Then onwards, I never looked back. I just looked ahead, at what I wanted to achieve. And my family always stood by my side, encouraging me at whatever I wanted to do. But mind you, I was never pampered! My siblings and I were guided by the same rules. This is what allparents with a handicapped child must do - do not overprotect! Just help the child realise his innate potential,'' she advises.After her BA from Fergusson College, Poornima completed her masters in French from the University of Pune. Alongside, she also did a course in fashion designing and even held a few exhibitions. ``Though I love this field, I was not encouraged by the designers with whom I wanted to work.'' But before Poornima could begin to feel disheartened, she was offered the post of customer care officer by Harish Dhote, a dealer for AT&T and a former classmate from her marketing management course.``Languages, however, continue to remain my first love,'' says the girl, who alongwith French and German has also learnt Urdu, primarily because of her passion for ghazals. ``I want to start my own translation bureau in Pune, and since the more languages one knows the better it is in this business, I am now pursuing German too,'' she adds.Despite having overcome the handicap to a great extent,you wonder just how independent is Poornima in her day-to-day life. ``Independent enough to be able to live alone,'' she replies immediately. ``I have even gone to Delhi and France on my own and stayed there without any problems. What has helped me surmount everyday difficulties has been my ability to make friends easily and the fact that I am never ashamed to ask for help,'' she smiles.An amateur painter and an enthusiastic cook, Poornima today has left behind all the bitterness she may have once felt about her condition, replacing it with optimism and a zest for life.``However, my parents are worried about what will become of me once they are gone. My mother hopes that I will be married one day. Here, I'd like to draw attention to the attitude of people. Despite all our `progressive' thinking, why is it still felt that a handicapped person doesn't have the right to choose? Is it necessary that one handicapped individual must marry another handicapped person? If both face the same problem, the end willbe sheer frustration! So don't take away our right to choose. Personally, I'm in no hurry to tie the knot, I'm waiting for my Mr Right!'' she concludes emphatically.
