"Long long ago, there was a girl who always dreamt of being an astronaut... Later, she realised her dream will only remain a dream..." (someone would have remarked over this 'why not, she could have if she had tried')...
But, no, sometimes some dreams just remain dreams, because reality is different... those dreams remain somewhere deep down in the heart, sometimes they try to peep in life in one way or another or sometimes they simply keep hurting like shards of glass....
Since my childhood (& even later till now) which I spent maximum at the hospitals like Bhatia Hospital (Tardeo) in Mumbai (& at Pune too) for surgeries & treatments of my brittle bones disorder, I always loved to see things from extreme heights, because whenever I would feel bored in the hospital, my father always took me out of the room on the upper floor for sometime & we would 'sit' (I lying down on the stretcher with reclining position) for hours at the big glass-covered windows in the verandah, watching the cars & pedestrians below, the tall buildings in the surrounding as well as those far away.... Everything would seem beautiful though tiny from those heights but I could see everything far far away....
Even watching places on 'Google Earth' from above, few years ago or on the maps in the atlas in school days was always my favourite...
Few years ago, one of my brother-in-law Shri. Anand Desai had gifted me a beautiful book named 'Maharashtra Desha' by Shri. Uddhav Thakre about aerial photography of various places in state Maharashtra (India) where we live. Those beautiful photos are clicked from helicopter and compiled together.
My father had travelled by air during my college days to recieve a prestigious award at Delhi, for his business.
My mother & my paternal aunts had travelled one after another to USA for the first time to be with my elder sister during her pregnancy and delivery of twin babies. That time, I had helped them to complete all the documentation and also to guide them how the process of air travel will be. My own sisters, cousins, friends had travelled by air so far to various places for their work or for vacationing. But, I myself couldn't, just out of technical reasons. So far I have travelled by train only once that too while lying down on a seat in horizontal position, but by car & by various types of boats & ships for so many times using reclining seat or by being in the customised manual recliner wheelchair / battery operated wheelchair in the car. My mom used to tell my father to visit my sister in USA but he always told her that "no, not till I can take my daughter with me". Till then, sky was really a limit & still it is by some technical reasons,....
One big obstacle: complicated, rigid rules to take your own customised manual recliner wheelchair (which is the only source of mobility for me in absence of my battery operated wheelchair), as a seat or to go till the seat/bed in the aeroplane. It isn't allowed. The airport staff told us that we need to take the normal manual wheelchair only. Also, we need to take a practicing doctor with us every time... (are wheelchair users always supposed to be sick or ill or do our doctors need to accompany us always even if we travel for vacation with family/for work?!)... Also, though my battery operated wheelchair has gel battery (which is allowed) & not the carbon battery (which isn't allowed in the plane), it would be put in the cargo of the plane & not in the plane as a seat directly or as a means to shift to the bed in the plane. At such times, I was told only to use their ambulance lift or normal wheelchair to go in the plane. I can't use normal manual wheelchair as I can't sit full 90° upright with feet on the footrest of the wheelchair/seat & also I'm not allowed to sit by orthopaedics, otherwise my spine might damage.
Me & my family had almost lost the dream of air travel atleast once for me.
During 2015, my father came across an advertisement of helicopter ride in Mumbai by Retired Airforce Officer Shri. Prashant P Oak Sir & we had also tried to plan a ride, but as my mother again faced illness & lost her battle in 2016, we totally had abandoned the idea. Also, my health diminished again due to the restart of kidney ailment. But, since surgery, health recovered a bit & this dream of air travel again sprung up in mind of my father. By co incindence, he saw an advertisement on WhatsApp about helicopter rides arranged by Shri. Omkar Gondkar along with Raje Trekkers & Mandke Aviation who had collaboration to arrange the rides. My father contacted him for further information & booking. Many technical issues in between made it difficult to bring it into reality but, there comes a time when dreams do fulfill by willingness & co operation. Extremely confident, experienced pilot Shri. Raje, a wonderful team of the arrangers & the one who was ready to help us throughout since the Day 1, Shri. Gondkar, helped me to fulfill the dream so beautifully, that too giving me 2 paid rides on both routes ... My whole family & even my driver-uncle too who has been with us for many years, have been extremely happy to see the long cherished dream coming true today on 2nd March 2019, Saturday, finally!
Thank you ,all....I really don't know how should I convey my gratitude.... My mother too would have been extremely happy & excited today....
But, no, sometimes some dreams just remain dreams, because reality is different... those dreams remain somewhere deep down in the heart, sometimes they try to peep in life in one way or another or sometimes they simply keep hurting like shards of glass....
Since my childhood (& even later till now) which I spent maximum at the hospitals like Bhatia Hospital (Tardeo) in Mumbai (& at Pune too) for surgeries & treatments of my brittle bones disorder, I always loved to see things from extreme heights, because whenever I would feel bored in the hospital, my father always took me out of the room on the upper floor for sometime & we would 'sit' (I lying down on the stretcher with reclining position) for hours at the big glass-covered windows in the verandah, watching the cars & pedestrians below, the tall buildings in the surrounding as well as those far away.... Everything would seem beautiful though tiny from those heights but I could see everything far far away....
Even watching places on 'Google Earth' from above, few years ago or on the maps in the atlas in school days was always my favourite...
Few years ago, one of my brother-in-law Shri. Anand Desai had gifted me a beautiful book named 'Maharashtra Desha' by Shri. Uddhav Thakre about aerial photography of various places in state Maharashtra (India) where we live. Those beautiful photos are clicked from helicopter and compiled together.
My father had travelled by air during my college days to recieve a prestigious award at Delhi, for his business.
My mother & my paternal aunts had travelled one after another to USA for the first time to be with my elder sister during her pregnancy and delivery of twin babies. That time, I had helped them to complete all the documentation and also to guide them how the process of air travel will be. My own sisters, cousins, friends had travelled by air so far to various places for their work or for vacationing. But, I myself couldn't, just out of technical reasons. So far I have travelled by train only once that too while lying down on a seat in horizontal position, but by car & by various types of boats & ships for so many times using reclining seat or by being in the customised manual recliner wheelchair / battery operated wheelchair in the car. My mom used to tell my father to visit my sister in USA but he always told her that "no, not till I can take my daughter with me". Till then, sky was really a limit & still it is by some technical reasons,....
One big obstacle: complicated, rigid rules to take your own customised manual recliner wheelchair (which is the only source of mobility for me in absence of my battery operated wheelchair), as a seat or to go till the seat/bed in the aeroplane. It isn't allowed. The airport staff told us that we need to take the normal manual wheelchair only. Also, we need to take a practicing doctor with us every time... (are wheelchair users always supposed to be sick or ill or do our doctors need to accompany us always even if we travel for vacation with family/for work?!)... Also, though my battery operated wheelchair has gel battery (which is allowed) & not the carbon battery (which isn't allowed in the plane), it would be put in the cargo of the plane & not in the plane as a seat directly or as a means to shift to the bed in the plane. At such times, I was told only to use their ambulance lift or normal wheelchair to go in the plane. I can't use normal manual wheelchair as I can't sit full 90° upright with feet on the footrest of the wheelchair/seat & also I'm not allowed to sit by orthopaedics, otherwise my spine might damage.
Me & my family had almost lost the dream of air travel atleast once for me.
During 2015, my father came across an advertisement of helicopter ride in Mumbai by Retired Airforce Officer Shri. Prashant P Oak Sir & we had also tried to plan a ride, but as my mother again faced illness & lost her battle in 2016, we totally had abandoned the idea. Also, my health diminished again due to the restart of kidney ailment. But, since surgery, health recovered a bit & this dream of air travel again sprung up in mind of my father. By co incindence, he saw an advertisement on WhatsApp about helicopter rides arranged by Shri. Omkar Gondkar along with Raje Trekkers & Mandke Aviation who had collaboration to arrange the rides. My father contacted him for further information & booking. Many technical issues in between made it difficult to bring it into reality but, there comes a time when dreams do fulfill by willingness & co operation. Extremely confident, experienced pilot Shri. Raje, a wonderful team of the arrangers & the one who was ready to help us throughout since the Day 1, Shri. Gondkar, helped me to fulfill the dream so beautifully, that too giving me 2 paid rides on both routes ... My whole family & even my driver-uncle too who has been with us for many years, have been extremely happy to see the long cherished dream coming true today on 2nd March 2019, Saturday, finally!
Thank you ,all....I really don't know how should I convey my gratitude.... My mother too would have been extremely happy & excited today....
No comments:
Post a Comment