Polio-hit plans mammoth step

Being afflicted by polio that left both legs crippled at a tender age might mean end of active life for most, but not for 42-year-old D Ravi who has set his eyes on a gruelling 24-hour drive to Delhi from Chennai in a modified SUV to focus on mobility issues of differently-abled.

Ravi, whose indomitable spirit saw him keeping himself mobile on his own despite suffering the disability when he was just two, would also be attempting a Guinness record for the fastest car journey ever by a differently-abled person when he hits the road next month as planned.

Driving a car is nothing new for Ravi, an assistant at the LIC of India branch in Krishnagiri. He got his Maruti Swift modified by fitting a kit that allows him to drive the car by using his hands alone.

In the past one year since he bought the car, he has logged around 55,000 km. Ravi, who depends on crutches to walk around, commutes to his office by car daily, covering 80 km from his home town Ambur in Vellore district. “My aim is to create awareness about various issues connected with personal mobility of differently-abled persons. Many people, who are affected by disability, are unaware of their rights and benefits available,” says Ravi, who has registered with Guinness Book of World Records.