A Dream Travel

I had always been fond of traveling, though I never got a chance to stand on my feet & savor it. Yet, the spirits were high as I was born in an economically sound family in India. To quench my thirst for traveling and visiting places on my own, I finally made up my mind to pay a hefty sum and get my dream electric wheelchair (unfortunately I couldn't arrange funds for an Ibot stair climber).
The day I got my wheelie (that’s my wheelchair) I felt no less than a Queen who had recently conquered her enemy! Soon I planned a trip to a holiday destination which I couldn't think of before due to my disability. I was thrilled with high hopes of touching every corner with my wheelie. I dreamt of reaching the unimaginable heights.
My journey to Udaipur, the lake city of Rajasthan, finally started. I never knew that the journey to the reality was also initiating at the same time. The first realization struck me when I went to the railway station to get on my train. Woops....the station was well blocked by uncountable staircases for my wheelie to get on to the platform. The thrill inside me felt a cold wave. Condemning every negative thought, I dared to make my way on to the platform just to realize that the doors of the train's compartment were a little narrow and could not accommodate my wheelie. Finding no rescue I left the station to make out another way to reach Udaipur. After putting in all the efforts, the result denied availability of any possible public transport which could comfortably accommodate wheelie & me together. So I finally decided to lighter my pocket by a few more bucks & hire a private van. I asked the driver for a ramp. Giving me a surprised look he bounced a question towards me “What’s a RAMP mam???".
Phewww.....this was enough to drain all my excitement and desire to see an unknown place. I very well realized that India is not a country where disable people can live and enjoy an accessible & quality life on an electric wheelchair. They can only enjoy mobility if they are ready to drag & climb up stairs, trains, buses, educational institutes and all sort of residential & commercial buildings. There is hardly any place open for an economically restrained disabled in the so called most progressive country "INDIA" I finally gave up my ambition to live an entirely independent life and decided to wait until India becomes Progressive for disable people too.