The smiles on their faces said it all. As the 14 wheelchair-borne paraplegics and tetraplegics watched the world come to them through their computer monitors, one knew that few developments could rival this one when it came to raising the morale and expediting rehabilitation of the disabled inmates at the Paraplegic Rehabilitation Centre (PRC) at Pune.February 11 saw the official inauguration of a modern computer centre at the PRC Pune. The Indian Express had given a cheque of Rs 13.90 lakh in April 2007 for the purpose. The project that includes a building to house the centre, requisite furniture, 14 computers and accessories of latest configurations and Internet connections was inaugurated by Anita Thamburaj, president, Army Wives Welfare Association, Southern Command, in the presence of Brigadier R J Sharma, chairman PRC and a senior editorial representative of The Indian Express on Monday morning. Lauding the role of the newspaper for converting a dream into reality, Brig Sharma said, “The Indian Express has always been committed to the cause of the Armed Forces right from the Kargil war days and we are very grateful to the group for their donation that has enabled us to put up this facility for our disabled soldiers.” Also present on the occasion were Lt Colonel (retd) S P Jyoti, medical director, a host of senior defence officers, members of AWWA and a large number of wheelchair-borne soldiers and their families. The chairman added that along with opening a window of opportunity for the soldiers to connect with the world outside, this measure is also aimed at training them in basic computer skills like Desk Top Publishing that would enable them to take up assignments from the IT sector and other industries. For the purpose, a qualified instructor has been employed at the centre who has already begun working with the first trainee batch of 14 paraplegics The centre also plans to solicit work assignments from the industry.“The radiance on their faces has given me all the answers,” said Anita Thamburaj as she unveiled the plaque at the centre and went around interacting with the families of the soldiers. She also praised The Indian Express for initiating the project. There are 72 disabled soldiers at the paraplegic home in Pune. The PRC also has a website pararehab.org. Each of the inmates has a separate page on this site that will help them in interacting with other Internet users. As one of them puts it, “This move has assimilated us with the entire populace at one go. We now feel like we are the chosen ones.”
