Logo of Everyone is good at something

savita

savita
nishad , chattisgarh

Savita Nishad (27) sits cross-legged on the floor, smiling and looking sideways at a large, rectangular, framed certificate that she holds upright. The wall behind her is shocking pink. Forming a border at the bottom is a broad, horizontal band divided into two; the left half painted black and the right half, leaf-green. She wears a sky-blue, round-necked, three-fourth sleeved, tight kurta and beige salwar printed with motifs of leaves and flowers outlined in black. Her hair is in a centre parting and tied back, and she wears gold jimki earrings. With her left hand she supports the top of the framed certificate that reaches shoulder height. The white certificate is entirely printed in Hindi. Right on top it says Nayi Duniya in black, and below it in large maroon letters, Nayika, and below it, in smaller maroon letters, Sammaan 2023. Then comes a maroon headline that says Sammaan Patr and below it, the details of the award in black text.
Mid shot of a smiling Savita sitting behind a tabletop sewing machine. She wears a peach-coloured short-sleeved kameez with chikan-work embroidery, and a matching dupatta draped over her shoulders. The wall behind her is shocking pink. The sewing machine is black and across its arm the brand-name, RAJ, is displayed in gold capital letters. There is a spool of peach-coloured thread. Savita’s right hand rests on the wheel and her left hand is holding a blue and white printed fabric below the needle.
Savita sits cross-legged on the floor next to the open front door, facing the camera. The light from outside falls on her face and body. The iron door is painted pista-green and the wall behind her is shocking pink with a black and leaf-green border. Savita is reading a Hindi broadsheet that she holds open with both hands. She wears a light pista-green kameez printed with floral motifs in red and white, a beige salwar printed with black outlines of flowers and leaves, and a beige dupatta. Next to her on the floor there is a white porcelain cup.
Savita sits in her wheelchair on a paved lane outside her house. There is a row of houses along the lane. She wears her sky-blue kameez and beige salwar. With her hands on the wheels on either side of her, she is propelling the wheelchair forward towards the camera. To the right there are three cement steps leading up to a house with an open front door. A middle-aged woman sits on the top step. She wears a light blue blouse and a sari printed with green, black and beige rectangular motifs. The facade of the house is painted light blue. The wall has a broad border at the bottom, painted in a diamond pattern of light and dark blue with yellow vertical lines.
Savita sits with her cousins and niece on the top step of the open front door of their house. From left to right: her cousin Kriti (19), Savita, her niece Palak (15) and cousin Jiya (15). The front wall is in a diamond pattern of green and blue with yellow vertical stripes. Kriti wears blue jeans and a light pink T-shirt. Her hair is tied on top with a plastic clip. Savita wears her blue kameez and beige salwar, and her black plait hangs down her right shoulder. Palak wears a sleeveless, round-necked, long top paired with loose pants, both printed with white motifs on a black background. Her backcombed wavy hair hangs down her right shoulder. Jiya wears a blood-red, full-sleeved T-shirt and navy blue track pants. Her hair is tightly backcombed.
Icon to view photos in full screen

“It is important to earn well, not just for yourself but to be able to help others”

When we spoke to Savita Nishad (27) from Mahasamund, Chhattisgarh she had just finished celebrating Diwali with her 35-member joint family, with diyas and fireworks and the whole shebang. “I get scared of firecrackers but I still burst them to conquer my fear,” she told us. It’s a statement that captures Savita’s tenacious spirit. As a person with 80 per cent locomotive disability, she says, “My whole life has been a struggle. I have fought for everything I have today.”
 
Savita is the youngest of three siblings. Their father works at the railway station, loading and unloading goods on trains. Predictably, the village school had no special facilities for pupils like her. “It was tough for me to climb the stairs,” she recalls. Her sister Kavita stood by her side all through, but discrimination is something that she had to battle on her own. She tells us pointblank: “I had absolutely no friends. None in school, none in college.” She has experienced society’s prejudices against persons with disabilities, but has also seen positive changes. “Earlier, people would pretend like we never existed. When we came to their attention, they would disrespect us and that used to hurt. But I feel things are getting better now with education and awareness.”
 
Savita became a wheelchair user only when she started college. She graduated from Mahaprabhu Vallabhacharya College and went on to complete her M.A. in Hindi in 2020. “At home I don’t use my wheelchair,” she explains, “because the body needs constant exercise. It is like a machine that needs to be maintained!” She does use her wheelchair at work, though; over a month ago, she got a data entry job in the local RLC Multispeciality Hospital.
 
Alongside a determination to be self-reliant, a spirit of altruism has taken root in Savita. She plunged into social work, joining Unnati Divyang Sangh, an organisation that helps primarily the disability community but also other needy persons to get their government IDs and documents, informs them about various government schemes etc. She watches a lot of motivational videos. “They inspire me, especially those by Sonu Sharma [a motivational speaker with his own YouTube channel].” She ‘pays it forward’ by putting out her own “funny and motivational” reels in her spare time, in an attempt to inspire others.
 
In 2022 Savita was one among the 100 ‘empowered women’ who received an award at the Nari Shakti Summit in Raipur at the hands of Chhattisgarh minister Amarjeet Bhagat. When Chhattisgarh's first fashion show for persons with disabilities was organised in March 2023 by Shruti Foundation and Shri Shankaracharya Mahavidyalaya, she enthusiastically participated and was the runner up too! “I have always wanted to do something in fashion, but never had the opportunity,” she says. Another honour came her way in 2023 when she received the Nayika Sammaan from the Hindi newspaper Nai Dunia. This is an annual award that the paper gives to women who have contributed to society. She was awarded for her work towards helping others and being an inspiration.
 
“I love music and can sing well,” Savita tells us. She has sung at district level programmes, patriotic songs being her preferred category and “Uto Jawan Desh ki Vasundhara Pukarti” being her favourite number. Despite all her achievements, there is a natural and deep-seated desire within her that is yet to be fulfilled. “I wish for a life partner who is always there for me, cares for me, and will give me all the love I want.”
 
Savita says her motto in life is “One should be so successful that one can bring a smile to the face of someone who is needy.” We hope she also succeeds in finding a loving partner who will bring smiles to her face as well!
 

Photos:

Vicky Roy

©Copyrights - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/