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“I have always followed my mother’s advice: where there’s a will there’s a way”

There is a household in Phey village in Leh, Ladakh that’s overflowing with doctors. Dr Dolma Tsering (72) is the only one in the family with a medical degree; her husband Dr Nawang Tsering and their daughter and one son have PhDs while the youngest is pursuing his engineering degree. The doctorate-holder son, Thinles Namgyal (38), just happens to have Mixed Cerebral Palsy, a combination of different forms of CP. His journey is a testament to the power of perseverance and the support of a loving family.
 
At the time when Thinles was born, Ladakh lacked specialised medical facilities for children with CP, so his family travelled to Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi. During his father’s winter breaks (he is a professor at the Central Institute of Buddhist Studies) they regularly visited the Spastics Society of India in Green Park, Delhi and continued treatment in Ladakh based on the doctors’ guidance. His treatment included physiotherapy aimed at improving motor skills and preventing muscle contractures. To explore permanent solutions, the family consulted neurosurgeon Dr A.K. Purohit at Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences in Hyderabad. After extensive tests, he concluded that surgery would not benefit Thinles, and the family accepted this with resilience.
 
Thinles studied in the Government Middle School, Housing Colony, Leh, which focuses on inclusive education for children with disabilities. Because of his mobility challenges, his cousin accompanied him to school. He then moved to the Central Institute where his father taught and completed his MA. Thinles’s academic pursuits didn’t stop there; inspired by his father and motivated by his own goals, he pursued a doctorate in ‘Bodh Darshan’ at Sampurnanand Sanskrit Vishwavidyalaya in Varanasi.
 
Thinles’s parents moved to Varanasi for five years. They initially lived in a ‘dharamshala’ with a common bathroom, which was a nightmare for him. Later they moved into a one-room flat and though it was a struggle for all three adults to share a room the couple was determined to help their son achieve his dream of acquiring a PhD like his father and sister. Thinles recounts moments from his time at Varanasi, when he struggled to access classrooms on higher floors because there was no ramp. His classmates would carry him up and down the stairs, embodying the compassion that has supported him every step of the way. He used to skip meals to catch up on studies and avoid the discomfort of inaccessible washrooms.
 
Besides physical challenges, mental pinpricks have beset Thinles’s journey: people making ignorant comments, snide remarks, pitying him, or underestimating his true potential. He says, “I would like to change the coarse attitude of Indian society that says persons with disabilities are receiving divine punishment for the bad karma done in previous lives. We are normal human beings the same emotions and feelings.”
 
Only his innate stubbornness has helped him get past social stigma and achieve his milestones. Of course his family’s unwavering support has made a profound difference. He is capable of performing all the activities of daily living such as bathing, eating, dressing and so on. The couple treats him exactly the same as his siblings and includes him in family functions, fostering acceptance within the broader community of Leh.
 
Thinles now works as a freelancer, translating literature and poetry from English and Bodhi into Hindi. He enjoys composing poems in both Hindi and English and his poetry and articles on Buddhism have been published by the Cultural Academy of Leh. Despite his accomplishments, he sometimes feels disheartened and questions why he can’t pursue a career aligned with his PhD. Dolma has always reminded him that there are some who suffer far more than he does, so he should always be grateful for what he has. He listens to motivational talks, talks to his professors who encourage him, or watches TV, plays games or goes back to writing which he enjoys immensely. “I have always wanted to be a writer,” he tells us. His belief that “hum kisi se kam nahi” (I am no less than anyone) inspires everyone around him.
 
Thinles says he would tell the 15-year-old version of himself, “Stop trying to prove yourself to everyone.” His message to young persons with disabilities: “Accept yourself and focus on what you can do. Stop thinking and caring about what people say, because they only see your physical disability, not your inner strength.”