Cerebral Palsy Anthem in Sign Language

Cerebral Palsy Anthem

CP for Capable Person

People shorten cerebral palsy to CP

Capable Person is also shorten as CP

Sky is the limit for person with CP

Do not undermine capability of person with CP

Just sympathy is not acceptable to person with CP

                                        

                                                 by Dr. Riitesh Sinha

My achievements featured on newzhook.com

CP stands for Capable Person, not Cerebral Palsy - My Take by Riitesh Sinha, innovator of a bike for the disabled

In My Take this week, Riitesh Sinha, an innovator based in Karnal, tells Newz Hook how a never-say-die attitude has enabled him to overcome the challenges of cerebral palsy.

People refer to cerebral palsy as CP but I choose to believe that CP stands for capable person. All my life I have been dependent on my parents to take me to school and other places. I did not like this so I decided to invent my own tricycle, which I call trike.

I got the idea from a science video and it took me two years of research to get it right. As I am based in Karnal in Haryana, it is hard to find the proper technical support so it took me a little longer.

I added a foot pedal to help me control the cycle and balance myself. Now I use the trike to move around Karnal, and have even gone as far as 10 kms. This has enabled me to be independent. I am part of a literacy campaign that requires me to travel to nearby villages and I am able to travel on my trike. I also attend my classes at Kurukshetra University.

It is not that I have had it easy. I have had to fight for my rights. Like in 2011, I got a job at the Districts and Sessions Court in Karnal. But I was removed from the position and I challenged the termination at the High Court. I was asked to take an ability test that I passed successfully. The court quashed the termination order.

This was the first time in the history of the High Court that a disabled person had been asked to undergo an ability test, and my name even appeared in the Limca Book of Records. Today, I work at the Karnal District and Sessions court, and my role is to maintain digitised records.

I also have a blog where I talk about the benefits of yoga and have helped others discover its benefits. In my blog, I have listed mudras and asanas that can provide relief to people with CP and Parkinson's disease.

I believe that the biggest struggle the disabled face in India is social discrimination. People regard us as useless and even though many of us have the necessary qualifications, we rarely get hired.

My biggest satisfaction comes from knowing about people who have benefitted from my experience or work. I love to innovate and my wish is to keep doing so until the rest of my life.

About the Writer

Riitesh Sinha has an honorary doctorate in computer science, and has opened a centre in Karnal where he teaches children computer basics.

Source: Newzhook.com

Zooming forward on a trike

Zooming forward on a trike

October 2017

By Jamuna Rangachari

A patient of cerebral palsy, Riitesh Sinha has achieved more than most healthy people. Jamuna Rangachari speaks to him about his challenges, accomplishments and never-say-die attitude

There are some people who show us that nothing is impossible if we put our mind and soul into it. Riitesh Sinha from Karnal, a case in point, views everything as a challenge and not a dead end. “People refer to cerebral palsy as CP but I believe CP stands for capable person,” he says confidently. Riitesh had just passed his board exams with flying colours, securing 75 percent, when his quest for independence led him to invent his own trike (tricycle). “I was entirely dependent on my parents to take me to school and other places, and did not like this. Then one day, I was watching a science video when I got the idea for a trike.”

After two years of research and barely any technical expertise in a humble city like Karnal, Riitesh successfully modified a regular cycle into a trike. “I added a foot pedal that helped me steer the cycle and balance myself,” he says, adding that he was soon using the trike to get around town, often going as far as 10 kms all on his own. It was a noteworthy achievement and liberating experience for someone who was earlier forced to depend on others to get around. Teaching in nearby villages as part of literacy campaigns became easier with the trike, as did attending B.Sc. classes at Kurukshetra University. Riitesh had many supportive teachers and friends who arranged for him to attend classes on the ground floor. After completing his B.Sc., he went on to get a Post Graduate Diploma in Computer Application, Certificate in Computing from IGNOU, Masters in Technology from Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Honorary Doctorate in Computer Science from

Indian Virtual University for Peace in Bangalore and Diploma in Naturopathy from Nature Care Institute in Nashik. Riitesh then opened a computer centre affiliated with the National Institute of Open Schooling. Here, he taught children computer basics, introducing over 1,000 students to the world of computers. He also taught a few adults. High achiever

Riitesh landed a job at the Districts and Sessions Court in Karnal in 2011. And even though, he was soon ousted he didn’t give up. “I approached the High Court with my case and the Court asked me to take an ability test, which I passed successfully. I won the case and the court quashed my termination order.” It was for the first time in the history of the High Court that a physically challenged person had been asked to undergo an ability test, putting Riitesh’s name in the Limca Book of Records. Today, he works with the Karnal District and Sessions court, and is responsible for maintaining digitised records.

Says Riitesh, “I was once reading a story about a yogi and how he benefitted from yoga. I started practising it myself and found great relief. Also, my body became more flexible. I decided to help others discover the benefits of yoga.” He created a blog that lists mudras and practices that can provide relief to people suffering from cerebral palsy and Parkinson's disease.

When asked what is the greatest struggle that physically challenged people in India face, Riitesh immediately says, “Social stigma.” He has observed how most people think physically challenged people are useless. “ There are easily 25 lakh Indians who suffer from cerebral palsy but how many are hired despite having the necessary qualifications? I believe that if we remove this social stigma, more than 80 percent of physically challenged people can lead more fulfilling lives.”

Riitesh looks up to his parents, his sister Anila, principal of St. Theresa's Convent School in Karnal Sr. Grace Maria, and his teachers and friends. He doesn’t feel he is doing anything extraordinary. “I am just doing my work on alternative therapies to make the lives of people, especially those affected with cerebral palsy, easier,” he says. Whenever he hears of anyone who has benefited from his experience or work, he feels fulfilled. He keeps thinking about what more he can do to make everyone’s life better. He loves to innovate and wishes to do so till the end of his life.

Many people lead their lives worrying about all the things they can’t achieve. It’s people like Riitesh who show us that nothing is impossible. Riitesh’s sister, Anila, often says, “For someone who finds mundane tasks like holding a pen, brushing his teeth and wearing clothes, difficult, Riitesh has achieved a lot and that’s inspirational.” After speaking to Riitesh, I realise that truly, nothing is impossible as long as we do not give up in life.

Riitesh benefitted from yoga and mudra therapy and blogs about them to help others

Source: Life Positive October 2017