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Showing posts with label Sethi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sethi. Show all posts

Tuesday, January 08, 2008

Jaipur Legs

I remember seeing, as a kid, a neighbor of mine having a funny-looking leg. It took time for me to identify it was fake. He used to ride his moped, walk in a funny-looking manner, and lead a life just like any other funny-looking guy.

Only at a later stage did I understand things like artificial legs, prosthetics and so on. And yesterday, I read the sad news about the death of the inventor of the so-called 'Jaipur Legs'. P.K. Sethi is his name. He had applied his innovation so that people who can't afford to the seemingly easier tasks that people like you and me can do can also walk proudly and do things we guys usually take for granted.

His innovation led to the realization of millions of dreams. To reduce the weight of the artificial legs that were in use, he came up with the idea of using vulcanized rubber which is more flexible and less massive. It is claimed that one can even climb up trees with these legs fitted.

When India is successfully implementing the Polio Eradication program, Sethi's contribution to the upliftment of disabled persons ought to be remembered.