Prabhakar
 Born as the last child of a poor labourer, Prabhakar found it difficult to get even one meal a day. He has five sisters and two brothers and grandparents and parents living under the same roof. As there was no money even to buy books, Prabhakar was not sent to
school even when he was more than five years old.
The relatives around them insisted that the young boy should be put in a school. Hence, with great difficulty, they planned to put him in a school. Suddenly, he had a severe attack of polio and lost all senses below the hip.
They did not have any resources to treat him. But his father borrowed money and treated him. He could not be admitted to a normal school. At last, at the age of eight, he joined a school for physically handicapped children and stayed in the hostel attached to it at
Thirunagar, in Madurai.
During weekends the parents and relatives of the children would come to the boarding school to see them. Some parents take them home for a change. Poor Prabhakar had bitter experiences as no one came from home to see him at all.
He used to move his hip with great difficulty and go to the entrance of the hostel and wait for a long time for his parents and relatives. During those hours, he would draw something on the sand. On looking at his drawing, he would feel the need for changes in it.
The reshaping would turn out to be a finer drawing. He slowly improved his talent and participated in drawing competitions. Children were allowed to stay only up to class-5 in the hostel.
There was a turning point in his life because of his love for painting. He won prizes even when he was in class-2. This had enabled him to join the American College School. He came back home. But as he could not walk and their financial position did not permit any transport facilities, his mother used to carry the 10-year-old boy to school.
As she herself was weak and hungry, she would drop him many times in which he got hurt. He did not want to trouble his mother and so practised some movements. To reduce the pain and safeguard his knee, he used to tie some old sack on it and pull his
knees for movement.
Due to continuous practice, his knees were bleeding and he sensed great pain. He used to wipe it off by using a sheet of paper from his note book as cotton or cloth was not readily available. He used to paste his saliva over the wounds.
A painting competition on water pollution was organised by the American College School. More than 100 students participated in it. It was a pleasant shock to Prabhakar when his name was announced for the first place.
He evinced keen interest in this fine art and developed it very well. He won many prizes from class-6 to class010. In cultural competitions and school day competitions also he won prizes.
 It was not easy for him to climb up the dais and get the prizes whenever his name was called. His classmates were kind enough to carry him to the dais. Any fifty paise his mother gave him to buy some eatables went for getting colour pencils. He was not ashamed to say that he picked up some 25 or 50 paise coins on the road when he was crawling.
He saved those coins and bought papers and pencils needed for his paintings. His teachers in American College School encouraged him to join an art school as he was talented. So, apart from having his regular education, Prabhakar joined the painting school in the museum at Madurai.
He spent most of his time in painting. As part of the painting exercise, the students were asked to draw any incident they had seen. As an expression of his subconscious mind, Prabhakar drew a picture of a handicapped man, with only one leg because of a road accident, trying to cross the road.
When he saw the realistic painting of a senior depicted the way in which Prabhakar was making moves by rolling, crawling and pulling and pushing, he could not control his tears. Though it was a reality, he wanted to show the outer world that the handicapped should be appreciated.
Whenever he goes for the competitions, he drew some themes connected with the handicapped and secured some prizes. He wanted to know the techniques followed by great painters. So when he was free from his school and painting classes he would visit
art exhibitions and watch their paintings.
Sometimes he went to the extent of holding paint cans, helping them with painting brushes, etc. At home he would paint on the walls. His father did not like his interest in painting and advised him to go for his collegiate education.
In the meantime, Prabhakar's father fell seriously ill and was hospitalised. The whole family was surviving with his income and they suffered a lot. No one was there to lend them money to buy medicines for his father.
So, Prabhakar thought of using his hobby to earn a livelihood for the family. He sat in two-wheeler repair shops and started painting number boards for vehicles and earned some money. Soon his father passed away and he could not fulfil the desire of his father of continuing his education.
His father was able to get all the five sisters and two brothers married in his life time. As they were not
affluent, they could not help the family. One of Prabhakar's sisters lost her husband and she returned home with two of her children.
The handicapped boy was the only earning member of the family and he had to feed five mouths. So he decided to do something to get a permanent income. He went to a painter who painted name boards for shops and offices and requested him to take him as his assisant.
But the painter told him that it would be impossible for Prabhakar to climb on the steps and lofts to paint; there was every chance of his falling down and it would become his responsibility to take him to the hospital if anything happened to him; the best way to earn something could be by begging as his disabled body would be as asset to him. The reply he got from that painter not only shocked but hurt him deeply and he felt like hitting him on the face. Prabhakar cursed himself for his inability and left the place.
The next step he adopted was successful. He went to every shop with his paintings and certificates and pleaded to the shop owners that he could design the boards for their shops. As he was initially doing it for a cheaper rate, the shop owners and individuals were happy to give him work.
Slowly he became popular and got many customers and this has made him open 'Prabha Painting Centre' near Periyar statue in Madurai. His hard and sincere work attracted the attention of the public. Many schools in Madurai sought Prabhakar's help to make charts with which younger students were taught. He bought a wheel cycle to be more mobile without anyone's help. Gradually, he started getting many assignments.
Prabhakar learnt new technologies in
painting. Though it is very difficult for him to use the scaffold, by constant practice he
became capable of managing it. Initially, his mother and sister objected to it but he practised scaffolding with the help of his friends after his family went to bed. He infused confidence in himself in that great effort and with the strength of his hands, he rolled his body to go to the top. He had witnessed the shock and surprise of the onlookers, when they saw a handicapped man climbing buildings with three or four storeys and do the work successfully. The way he jumps is unbelievable. It is a free advertisement to him.
Another leap forward in his life was his appointment in 1994 in the
Gandhi Museum as a staff to teach painting to small children. He never dreamt that he would become a teacher there. He recollects his student days in the same institution some years ago. He has trained more than 300 young artists who now earn their livelihood as painters. It was a turning point in his life. Though he turned to be professional, teaching painting and drawing to children makes him a man full of vigour. He involves himself totally in that work. He is happy to teach them sitting under the tree in a natural environment.
Many parents also stand around them and some are very much impressed with his dedicated teaching and make special request to come to their homes to give private coaching to their children by sending their cars to Prabhakar. Tears fill up his eyes when Prabhakar says that he waited for his own parents in vain in the boarding school, but now many parents invite him to their houses with love and respect.
 Though he is being honoured by many voluntary organisations, Prabhakar values the prizes (more than 200) he got when he was in school from class-3 to class-10. Many
commercial and social organisations have celebrated his success and given awards to him. In 2002, the
Rotary Club honoured him as the Best Entrepreneur. The Association of the Physically Handicapped honoured him as the 'Best Challenger' for his hard work and success in spite of being disabled. It is surprising to see his growth. He has gone into various fields of commercial painting. Prabhakar has become an expert in making name boards, banners, sticker cutting, colourful charts for schoolchildren, etc.
He is also invited to make beautiful platforms and entrance arches etc., for college and other functions. He has appointed physically handicapped people in his organisation and has set an example for others.
It is interesting to hear from Prabhakar that a girl started loving him in spite of his handicap. There was opposition from the girl's side as her parents did not want their daughter to get married to a disabled man. There was some problem from his side also. But it ended smoothly in marriage in 2001 after six years of resistance.
They have a child too. His wife gives moral and physical support to Prabhakar. He has started an STD booth with her supervision and continues his teaching and coaching freely in Gandhi Museum for more than 50 children. The indomitable courage, hard work, patience of this physically challenged man have taken to him to great heights. It shows his strong will, mental stability and self-respect. On the whole, Prabhakar is a self-made man.
Shanmugam can be contacted
@:
No: 54 Kamaraj Road,
Ramakrishna Nagar,
Alwar Thirunagar,
Chennai- 600 087.
Phone: 248 60 221
E-mail: shanmugam@azagi.com
(Extracted
from the book 'Hope is Life')
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The art of survival
