“Life is a struggle, and you have to fight it.”  

 Pawan’s life changed when he was three years old. He came down with a fever, and his father took him to the hospital. “The nurse there was a new trainee who either did not know how to use the injection or injected me in the wrong vein, and it began to swell,” he tells us. 

“We found out soon that there was nerve damage, because of which the blood flow had slowed down. Which is why my leg started to get thin. And I began to lose sensation in it.” What followed next was the beginning of a lifelong struggle: He could walk, but only when he supported his leg.  

Pawan estimates that he was probably the first in his village to have a disability. But despite this fact, he never felt excluded as a child. He says of his childhood, “When I used to play as a child, no one ever left me out. Even if they went to play cricket, which I don’t enjoy, they would include me. If there was one less player, I would always participate. And if someone else came, we would exchange places.” What he says next is an instant reminder of the classic dialogue from Geet in the famous Hindi film Jab We Met — “It’s not that I am not anyone’s favourite, I have always been everyone’s favourite.” 

Even so, finding a job was not especially easy –– until Pawan came to Godrej Consumer Products, where he’s found his first job. He says, “I have courage to live now. I can do much more now, and in the future. With this income, I can try other things too. My courage to live has increased and I feel good.”