Against all odds

State’s first paraplegic rafter now becomes the first quad biker

P.S. Chauhan

With indomitable willpower, courage and determination all obstacles can be transcend. The same has been proved by Varun Jain, when he became the first paraplegic quad biker to cover 135 kms. In 2006 Varun was paralyzed in an accident and doctors told him that he would not be able to move his legs in future and will need help from others for the rest of his life. But Varun was determined to prove them wrong. He underwent rigorous physiotherapy and was able to move the upper parts of his body. Later, he obtained B.B.A. and M.B.A. degrees and worked for some time with Hero Honda at Haridwar. But he gave up his job and started assisting his sister in launching her apparel brand, Kylee-Fashion, which is now a successful venture in Rishikesh.

Encouraged by his parents, Varun used to read books about adventure sports. And as Rishikesh is a good spot for white water rafting and kayaking, so Varun decided to give it a try. Well, his efforts were vindicated when he braved foamy tides on 14 kms. stretch of the Ganga at Rishikesh on April 22 last year. Which made him first paraplegic in the country to accomplish this feat. His heroic achievement was recorded in the Limca Book of Records.

This time Varun added one more feather to his cap by covering 135 kms. terrain from Rishikesh to Mussoorie via Chamba and Dhanau on his quad bike. On May 16, he was flagged off at Triveni Ghat, Rishikesh, by local M.L.A., Prem Chand Aggarwal and facing all the rigors of the hilly terrain, he reached Mussoorie at 5 p.m., same day. He was received by Harbans Kapoor, the Speaker of the state assembly. "Varun is the role model not only for all the physically challenged but also for entire humanity. He has proved that with right attitude, grit and determination nothing is impossible. He may be a paraplegic, but he is a real hero," said Kapoor on congratulating the great achiever.

Varun told Haridwar Plus that the society should change its perception towards the physically challenged persons. "Disability is more of a psychological state than a physical one," says Varun. To create awareness among the physically challenged about what all they can do, he has also launched an N.G.O., Breaking Barriers Foundation. He spreads the message that physical disability is not the end of life, but the beginning of a new life. A life where doing great things may be difficult but not impossible.