Sajan Rai, a physically challenged student, has cleared the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) and got admission to the Government Medical College in Bettiah in Bihar. In order to realise his dreams, Rai travelled for miles on his crutches as he can’t walk on his own due to an ailment he suffered during his childhood.
Rai came to Kota a year back from Madhubani in Bihar torealise his dream of becoming a doctor. He alsways wanted to cure physicallychallenged people to ensure a healthy and better life for them.
“My father Lal Bahadur Rai operates a photocopy shopwhile my mother is a housewife. Our entire savings were spent in my treatmentdue to which I am now able to walk with the help of crutches. However, ourfamily was left in a deplorable financial condition.
“After Class X, my parents had to enrol me in agovernment school as we had no money left to pursue studies in a privateschool,” Rai said.
“I scored 83 per cent in Class X and 63 per cent inClass XII. Thereafter, my father mortgaged a little piece of land we owned toensure that I get enrolled in a medical coaching institute in Kota to realisemy dream of becoming a doctor.
“In fact, many people told my father not to send me toKota given my physical condition, but my father believed in me,” he said.
Now Rai has dreams twinkling in his eyes and he wants tohelp physically challenged people after becoming a doctor.
Rai believes that being physically handicapped is not acurse, but a challenge which should be faced with determination and confidence.
He said that initially he got nervous and demotivated whilestudying but the faculty members motivated him to realise his goal. Seeing himwalk on his crutches, Rai was provided a vehicle facility from the privateinstitute in Kota to ensure he reached his classroom on time.
The institute also waived off his fee when it came to knowabout his financial condition.
“I used to study for four to five hours daily torealise my dream. After completing my MBBS, I want to specialise in neurology.I want to give a message to all my fellow friends, ‘have strong determinationand you shall definitely succeed in life’. “I faced many problems due to my physicalweakness but my strong determination helped me achiev success in life,”Rai said.