'The Many Hurdles I Crossed To Make It to College'
This is the story of Shreya Chaturvedi's tumultuous, but ultimately triumphant, journey to college.
advertisement
As Shreya waits in her wheelchair in the corridors of Delhi University’s Mata Sundri College for Women, she unlocks her phone and plays ‘Tere Mere Milan Ki Yeh Raina,’ a melodic song from the 1973 Hindi film Abhimaan. She breaks into a smile and starts humming and then gets carried away. Her lilting voice runs through the corridor.
“I can’t believe that we can use phones in college. I can now listen to songs anytime!” she tells me.
For the last three months, 22-year-old Shreya has spent every waking hour imagining this day.
On 7 November 2022, she is at the college of her choice for the very first time – three months after she took the entrance test for college admissions. But she is yet to join – a lot of things still need figuring out.
On this day, Shreya has woken up at 5 am, and Pratibha, her 62-year-old mother and her only caregiver, has helped her get dressed in a purple kurta. She is wearing new golden bangles to mark the day.
Shreya has cerebral palsy and spasticity of muscles. She uses a wheelchair.
But, despite all odds stacked against her, almost every time I meet her, she says – “Just because it is difficult, that does not mean we should give up... Darr se matt daro. Dar ka fitrat hai aapko rokna (Do not be afraid of fear. It is the nature of fear to stop you).”
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)