Neeraj George Baby, a differently-abled figure is a synonym for confidence and motivation in life. He inspires others with his life. His motto, ‘not to let down before anything’ resulted in his achievements. Currently, he is an Indian mountaineer, Para-Badminton athlete and an employee of the Advocate General Office in Kerala, India. He was an ordinary child. At eight and a half years old, he was diagnosed with bone cancer. He underwent chemotherapies and at nine, unlike other children, he had faced the question of either choosing his leg or life. This was unbearable for little Neeraj. Finally, he chose his life.
It was very painful for him to think of his condition. He wanted to roam around like anyone of his age. The stubborn nature of that small boy, not to spend within the four walls of his house paved the way to what he is now. This strong determination gave him the courage to walk on crutches on the third day of his surgery.
The very sight of little Neeraj roaming on crutches made his parents overwhelmed with joy. This was his second coming to life. After the surgery they wanted him to concentrate on any physical activity. He started watching badminton ‘All England Series’ and was attracted. He had developed a craze for badminton. The passion developed into a profession in 2007, in his college days. Parents and friends were his pillars of support.
After attaining success in his first match, his confidence level increased and he thought if he could, then why not others? He wanted to showcase himself as motivation before the differently abled people. He was the first to win an international level badminton championship for differently-abled from Kerala. He won a silver medal at the national level and won gold in doubles and silver in singles in the 2008 Asian Paralympics. He represented India in the 2015 World Championship held in Germany.
Trucking is his other passion. His love for travelling also came from his college days. He along with his friends conducted trips on the days of strike. He wanted to explore nature, the deep forests, and mountains and studied different places and people. His dream was Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa. It was his first international expedition. They started their trek on the tenth of October,2019. The weather was not good. The first two days were challenging and they covered the Barranco wall on the third day. On the fifth day, he reached the summit, nineteen thousand three hundred and forty-one feet high on his crutches and made our national flag fly high on the Uhuru peak. For him, it was not just submitting the peak, he was more interested in learning from the mountain itself. He also made expeditions on Agasthyarkoodam, Chembra Peak, Ponmudi, Edakkal caves etc
He is a chaser of his dreams and thereby happiness. From his experiences, he shares not to restrict ourselves from fulfilling our dreams to any limitations. He is a spark
and motivation not only for the differently-abled people but for all to come forward in the race of life. He can achieve more and more in his career with this unbreakable mind.
Credits and Reference:
https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Kochi/differently-abled-man-from-aluva-scales-mount-kilimanjaro/article29723590.ece
https://lifebeyondnumbers.com/neeraj-george-baby-conquered-mt-kilimanjaro-with-one-leg/.html