HALITESH DATT
TWELVE-YEAR-OLD Sneha Singh is not just an ordinary girl.
She is her mother’s ‘heartbeat’, her sisters’ favorite sibling, a girl with so many aspirations, a child with a will so strong and one who is an inspiration to many.
Sneha has defied the odds since birth. She was born with a condition that impaired her backbone and affected the growth of her legs that made everyone doubt her ability to move around independently as she grew up.
However, she rose up against those odds as she keeps herself mobile by using her palms.
Looking back from the day Sneha was born, her mother, Roshni Lata, 47, is always ensuring she gets the best of everything.
“She is our heartbeat! She makes our life lively and keeps us going. She lights up my world. She is the reason I live every day,” soft spoken Ms Lata explained when asked how special Sneha is to the family.
“Being a single parent, it has been a challenge. Sneha has high demands. She gets her monthly social welfare allowances.”
Sneha is energetic, ambitious and intelligent. She keeps herself up to date with latest fashion trends with her favorite Indian wear and jewellery.
Her favorite subjects are Mathematics and English. “She is a very smart girl especially with technology.
She is a very brilliant student too,” Ms Lata said.
“She competes with her sister who is a second year law student. She wants to be a detective, recently she is also saying that she wants to be a scientist. Whatever she wants to become, I will always support her.”
One may also find it hard to believe that Sneha is a very good dancer and a table tennis player.
“She is an inspiration to many. If people say they can’t do it, they should just see Sneha. They should see her dancing. Sneha has the energy to be awake for 15 hours. She loves to contribute towards household chores,” Ms Lata said.
“They are the special members of our society who don’t need money only. They need your time, your love and above all, they need you to accept them in the society,” Ms Lata said.
While Sneha’s family has sought every possible medical intervention, any operation could prove to be life threatening for her.
Sneha is multilingual as she speaks English, iTaukei and Hindi fluently. She has broken so many barriers since birth and continues to do so. She is just a normal child with special abilities.