KACHARAGADLA

A spinal tumour brought Deepa Malik’s life to a standstill, making it impossible for her to walk 17 years ago. Fast-forward to Monday, September 12, 2016, and she created history by becoming the first Indian female athlete to win a medal at the Paralympics. Her throw of 4.61m in the shotput F-53 event at the 2016 Rio Paralympics saw her bag the silver medal, taking India’s medal tally to three.   We take a look at her several other achievements and what makes her a truly gifted person.   1. Deepa Malik was detected with a tumour in her spinal cord at the age of six. Her recovery took three years. 2. An Army brat, she once spotted a young officer with a state-of-the-art Japanese bike. When he asked Deepa what she knew about bikes, she promptly replied, “Hand me the keys, and I’ll show you how it’s done.” That officer is now her husband and the father of her two daughters. 3. While her husband was in Kargil in 1999, her tumor relapsed and following her surgery,

An army mans wife, mother of two, a restaurateur with a social cause, a former beauty queen, an accomplished swimmer on the international platform and now a wannabe biker; 38 year-old Deepa Malik wears a multitude of hats and firmly refuses to let any conversation veer to sympathy that her disability often attracts. Malik became a wheelchair user in 1999. Most recently, she became the first paraplegic to participate in the gruelling Tour-de-Himalaya Car Rally.  Allister Mark Syiemlieh  of  D.N.I.S.  caught up with her. D.N.I.S.: You were the first paraplegic woman to join the world of sports in the Indian scenario. Were you apprehensive? How did you go about it? Deepa Malik :  Yes, I was apprehensive! Because being paraplegic requires special attention like living arrangements and wheelchair accessible bathrooms etc. These need to be taken care of before you venture to do something. As for joining the world of sports, it was purely by luck. The Maharashtra Paralympic Sports A