A Journey Of A #WheelchairWarrior From Being Unable To Able
I am Sai Kaustuv Dasgupta. I live in Puttaparthi, Andhra Pradesh with my parents and younger brother. I am 26 years old. I am a graphic designer, singer, composer and a motivational speaker. I am a person who has disabilities.
I was born without any disability. My first fracture happened when I was just three and a half months old. By the time I was one year old, I had suffered three fractures! My parents consulted orthopaedic specialists. After examining me thoroughly, they said that I was suffering from a disease called Osteogenesis Imperfecta. This is an extremely rare condition. It is also called Brittle Bone Disease. I have already suffered more than 50 fractures till now. At present, all my joints are fully fixed and I cannot walk. I use an electric wheelchair to move around my home and outside.
I received the Dishari Award for the Best Child Singer of West Bengal for the year 1999-2000. I got many opportunities to sing before famous singers like Manna Dey, Anuradha Paudwal, Anup Jalota, Rashid Khan and many others, in my childhood. I have composed more than 140 songs. I had received my training in Hindustani classical music from my mother, Shila Dasgupta (Bachelors in Music from Allahabad) and later from Smt. Kumudini Mundkur (Bhendibazaar Gharana). I have released two audio cassettes and recently released a video DVD and an MP3 audio album.
I have won the All India #WheelchairWanderlust Competition 2016 organised by an international orginasation called UMOJA and went for an accessible trip to Goa as part of the Grand Prize. So, to collect my inputs and appreciate my work, a state government level meeting was organised by the State Commissioner of Disability, Mrs. Anuradha Joshi. Our meeting witnessed intense discussions which revolved around making India more accessible for persons with disability. Times of India, Gomantak Times, Goa TV and other newspapers and TV channels of Goa covered the news so well.
I released a book in English in the year 2015 titled “My Life, My Love, My Dear Swami”. I have tried to spread the universal message of love and positivity around the world through this book. The book has already been translated in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Gujarati, Oriya and the Hindi language. I have sent one author’s copy of my book to the Prime Minister of India, Sri Narendra Modi and he has sent me a thank you letter from the Prime Minister’s Office, New Delhi.
I love to give motivational talks around the world. Through my life, I have inspired millions, who wanted to be happy and stress free. I love to inspire today’s youth and students to discover the main purpose of their lives. I have already conducted motivational sessions in the various states of India and with PhD students from various institutes. Beside that, I do online sessions on Skype too, with people in many countries. I am already done with New Jersey, Albany, Manhattan, New York, Melbourne, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Nepal, etc.
I want to work on bringing awareness about accessibility in every part of India through my designing skills and inspiring talks. As a person with disability, I wish to solve the problems that I face in my daily life. So that future generations don’t have to face them. I want to work for everyone in India who has disabilities. I have a wish to work with the government authorities to check about the scopes and exposures available for persons with disability like me. I would like to know, what are the facilities we could get from the government and how we could utilise them as per our own requirements. Government is doing many things for us, but we need to find out what practically benefits us and what measures we have to take to get those facilities.
I wish to make my life a message for all the #WheelchairWarriors and I believe that life is a unique story. Everything is possible and there is nothing to worry about.
Would like to more about Sai Kaustuv? Read here. #WheelchairWarrior: This 26 yr old’s courage will amaze you
My official Website: http://saikaustuv.wix.com/saikaustuvskorner
Thank you for patiently reading this.
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