02/10/2026
It is baffling that even today, the government lacks credible, comprehensive data on persons with disabilities (PwDs)-let alone persons with severe disabilities. What is more absurd is the persistent official estimate pe***ng our population at barely 2 percent. Developed nations like the UK and the US document disabled populations between 7 and 9 percent (and globally, the WHO estimates 16 percent). Which heavenly intervention of angelz saved India to keep ours at 2 percent? You cannot allocate resources, build accessible infrastructure, or frame policy for a community you refuse to count accurately.
Equally exhausting is the patronizing cycle of euphemisms: differently-abled, divyang, and the like. We do not need linguistic charity; we need rights, equity, and access. The word "DIVYANG" has changed nothing on ground. "ACCESSIBLE INDIA" is still the biggest shame especially in J&K
I am disabled. I have no shame or regret about it. I navigate the world in a wheelchair, and no amount of pious terminology changes the fact that the barrier isn't my bodyβitβs an inaccessible society. Call it what it is.
Had not I been on wheelchair perhaps I would not have done the all India spinal cord injury awareness drive of 24850 kms in 77 days covering length and breadth of India