Flying high with the spirit to conquer
Express News Service
Posted online: Thursday, July 03, 2008 at 0110 hrs IST
Kolkata, July 2
Resilience and determination has led 31-year-old Gautam Lewis to overcome his disability. Lewis, the first Indian pilot in Europe contracted polio during the seven years of his childhood, he spent in Kolkata. He returns to the city with a dream to inculcate courage in those children who suffer from the same disease.
Lewis has been appointed as the ambassador of the polio eradication campaign organised by the Rotary International, Kolkata.
“Being born in Howrah, I am attached to Kolkata and have come to spread the awareness among the people,” said Lewis. “It is important for people to know that being disabled does not stop one from pursuing one’s dreams,” added Lewis.
He has a dream: training disabled children to become pilots so that they can be a part of the ‘Able population’.
Abandoned by his family after he was affected with the disease at an early age, Lewis only remembers of flying kites from the roof of the orphanage. He was adopted by Dr Lewis and was taken abroad.
With crutches to support him, the battle against polio was never easy for Lewis but his passion was too strong to allow his disability to act as a deterrents to his dreams.
Lewis has come a long way from being a nightclub owner to band manager and finally a pilot, all this with his apparent disability.
His trip to the city has taken him to those two families whose children have been affected with polio. “I have been to Howrah and Maheshtala to speak to those diagnosed with polio and tell them that the disease can be prevented,” said Lewis. “A woman told me that her husband did not let their son take the vaccines fearing impotence. Such misconceptions needs to be cured,” Lewis added.
The Kolkata Municipal Corporation has agreed to lend their support to raise the awareness among the lower sections of the society about the necessity of polio vaccines and the treatment of the patients.
“The polio eradication programme is of utmost importance in our state and we had suggested that Lewis should go to all those pockets which are vulnerable to the disease to spread awareness about timely vaccines and its possible cure,” said Mayor Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya.
