Nageen Taj with her mother Zaithoon Bi.

“I was once scared to go out and face people… I was scared how they will treat me. But today, I fear none. I earn my living and take care of my mother on my own.”

These are the words of Nageen Taj, a Second Division Clerk at the University of Mysore, whose legs were stunted in childhood. Speaking to Star of Mysore, Nageen shared her story, which may not be extraordinary to normal people but is surely a morale booster to many like her.

“I was born normally. But an attack of chicken pox got worse and there was excessive pus collection in my legs. My condition became very serious and was operated three times. I would attend school for six months and rest six months would be on bed rest. Whenever I would get pain in the leg my father would rush me to Bangalore and they operated my legs. They would bind the legs with wooden slabs so that the bones would get set.

“My father, C.M. Abdul Wahab, was a manager at a private chit fund company in Chennapatna. When I was around 7 or 8 years old we shifted to Mysore and I studied till 9th at Mathrumandali School. We later went to Gargeshwari but my father passed away soon after. We were very well off till he was alive. But after his death we faced a lot of difficulty. None of our relatives came to our help. My mother Zaithoon Bi, who was a home maker, my elder sister Mubeen Taj and younger sister Ghousia Jabeen later came back to Mysore. At that time, my uncles helped us financially.”

“My dad struggled hard to improve my condition. He would ask me to accompany him everywhere so that I got the courage to face the world. His death came as a shock to me. When my elder sister got married, I was studying PU in Maharani’s College and later had to disconti- nue as I got a job at the Mysore University.”

“Life was not easy as I had to travel by bus from Naidu Nagar to the University. It was then that my younger sister started to boost my confidence and asked me to learn riding. I learnt to drive a two-wheeler on my own in around four days.”

“But when I decided to drive a car people advised me against it due to my height and also since I cannot bend my left hand. The driving instructors refused to teach me saying it was not possible. This made me more determined to learn driving a car. With the guidance of a driver I finally did learn and now I drive to work.”

“Earlier, I used to be very depressed at my condition. While some people would support me, others would look down. One day, my sister told there were people who were more unfortunate than me but were leading a good life. She is the reason why I became so strong. Today, I don’t care for what others think about me and I face the world boldly.”

On request, the University has allotted a quarters in front of SJCE to Nageen where she has been residing with her mother since April. Stunted growth and an unbendable hand did not stop Nageen from being what she is today — a strong and confident woman who has answered all those who looked down upon her with her courage.

When asked Nageen what message she had for others like her, she said, “Even though we say that society is kind and helpful towards the differently-abled, with my personal experience, I can say that life is not very easy. But we should not let disability discourage us. We should have the determination to achieve and prove that we are in no way less than others.”

source: http://www.StarofMysore.com / Feature Articles / by M.S. Apuurva / January 16th, 2012