On 27 March, 2014, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared India polio free, following the last reported case of wild poliovirus in the country on 13 January, 2011, in West Bengal’s Howrah.
India has largely remained polio free, with the exception of a vaccine-derived case that was confirmed in a two-year-old child from Tikrikilla in the West Garo Hills district of Meghalaya. However, senior officials from the Union Health Ministry emphasised in August 2024 that this wasn’t a case of wild polio but an infection affecting those with low immunity.
While the vaccination efforts have slowed in some regions, India’s achievement of being polio-free remains a significant public healthcare success. Thanks to the vaccine, millions of Indian children are spared from the disease, but we must remember those who were not as fortunate.
While many have been held back due to a lack of support and empathy around them, there are those who overcame remarkable odds to achieve great things in life.
Here are five inspiring stories of everyday Indians who overcame polio and made a meaningful impact.
Dr Shravan Chaudhary
At just 10 months old, Dr Shravan Chaudhary contracted polio, leaving him unable to walk. A resident of Jaswantpura in Rajgarh tehsil of Ajmer, Dr Chaudhary’s numerous hospital visits during his childhood inspired him to pursue a career in medicine. However, the road wasn’t easy.
Speaking to The Better India earlier this month, he said, “I was disqualified from appearing for the Pre-Medical Test (PMT) due to the 80 percent disability in my lower limbs. I had to move the Rajasthan High Court. Through their intervention, I enrolled for MBBS. After five years of devotion and hard work, I became a doctor!”
A qualified doctor, he serves at the prestigious JLN Hospital in Ajmer. For over a decade, he has been visiting villages to actively organise pulse polio campaigns and raise awareness about the disease. “I share my story with parents who are still afraid of vaccines, even decades after the launch of the campaign. We have a long way to go to fight this fear, and I am going to do my best,” he said.
Ajay Gupta
Ajay Gupta was diagnosed with polio at nine months, leaving both his legs and left hand paralysed. Today, he is the owner of Bachpan Playschools, with 1,100 franchisees across India.
Ajay couldn’t attend school until he was six years old because there weren’t any playschool facilities for children like him. Instead, he went to a nearby government school, accompanied by a helper who would carry him from home to school and assist him in the washroom. After high school, he couldn’t enrol in college due to the lack of accessibility. Instead, he did his graduation via correspondence.
In 2002, when he enrolled his children in a playschool, he realised how inadequate the state of playschool education was in the country. He realised that only the affluent could afford quality education at these centres.
Today, Bachpan Playschools are present nationwide, teaching almost one lakh students, and taking quality playschool education to Tier-II and III cities. He also runs a non-profit called ‘Hum Honge Kamyab’ that seeks to empower students with disabilities.
Kiran Bavadekar
Contracting polio at three, Kiran Bavadekar faced significant obstacles, including two accidents that severely affected his leg. Despite dragging himself around until the age of 15, he became a national bodybuilding champion and professional wrestler.
Kiran later opened a gym, training over 300 students, many of whom have joined the Indian Army or police. If a student cannot afford the fees, he either gives a waiver or teaches for free.
“In this day and age, anyone can be whatever they want to be as long as they stop seeing themselves from an outdated perspective. I have always believed disability lies in the eyes of the beholder. I never saw myself any different from the rest and worked as passionately as others to pursue my desires,” Kiran said.
Deeja Satheesan
Wheelchair-bound from polio, Deeja Satheesan, a native of Thiruvananthapuram, was homeschooled and developed a passion for cooking from her father, who was a hotel cook.
In a December 2020 conversation with The Better India, Deeja recalled, “My father was an amazing cook. Sitting on my wheelchair, the first dish I cooked was chicken curry when I was 19. Everyone loved the dish and appreciated me for it, and my father said I had his talent.”
After her father’s death in 2017, she turned to her love for cooking to support her family. She launched ‘Nymitra,’ her pickle business, which has flourished thanks to encouragement from friends and family. Today, she sells a variety of homemade pickles and earns a handsome income from the business.
“One of my family friends, Naushad Khan, motivated me by saying that I needed to do something I love. Without giving it a second thought, I chose to start a pickle business, as I had made it before. With the faith of my family and friends I began ‘Nymitra,’ which means “new friend,” with the help of Naushad,” Deeja said.
In addition to a large variety of pickles, she also makes chutney powder, sambar masala powder, rasam masala powder, garam masala powder, and other snacks.
Shilpa Mehta Jain
Diagnosed with scoliosis (polio) when she was two months old, Shilpa faced discrimination throughout her education. However, she remained focused on her studies and became a Chartered Accountant (CA) on her first attempt.
In a 2023 conversation with The Better India, she said, “When I was in school, people used to tell my father to stop spending money on my education. The school fee was around eight rupees a month at the time. They would express pity towards my father and tell him that he would need more dowry to get me married as I was disabled.”
With no friends in school, she realised early on that education was her key to success. In 2001, she became a Chartered Accountant (CA), a significant feat given the high level of difficulty in these exams. But despite her academic prowess, companies were unwilling to enrol her for articleship because of her disability, but that didn’t stop her from advancing her career.
On January 10, 2023, she was awarded the ICAI Award by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) for her diligent and excellent professional achievements. After receiving this recognition, Shilpa pledged to financially support 100 people with disabilities to pursue their CA in the next 10 years. Shilpa also started a scholarship called ‘Shantilal Mehta Scholarship’ in her father’s name.
(Edited by Arunava Banerjee)
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