Rewriting The Stars

Affected by polio as an infant which left her paralysed, this Ahmedabad girl went on to support thousands of people subjected to similar challenges, Dilip Singh Kshatriya writes

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Back in 1965, in the heart of Ahmedabad, a girl was born with dreams as vast as the sky. Darsita Shah, the youngest of four siblings, was a bundle of joy cradled in warmth. But fate, unpredictable and often merciless, had other plans. At just eight months, a relentless fever gripped her tiny frame, bringing with it the devastating touch of polio. The disease left 90% of her body paralysed.

The Shahs, however, refused to be broken. Her father, a businessman, knew that his daughter's condition would not seal her fate. If the world would not accommodate Darsita, her family ensured that she created a place for herself within it.