Pune girl beats physical disability, scores 91.4 percent in Boards

Pune (Maharashtra) [India] June 1 (ANI): Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) Class 12th student Harmehar Kaur Grewal has shown that physical discomfort cannot be a barrier to anyone if there is determination to achieve the goal. After an accident left her paralysed neck down five years ago, Harmehar did not give up and scored 91.4 percent in the 12th Boards examination from Army Public School in Pune. The doctors had told her to expect the worst but she managed to partially regain her balance after three years of vigorous physiotherapy. She held second position in her school in the Humanities stream. Harmehar is the daughter of an Army officer. The accident, which had left her immobile, required her to do strenuous physiotherapy on a daily basis. "I could attend only the first five lectures in the school, the rest of the time went in therapy and commuting to and from the hospital. I used to get only two hours every day to study, but I was determined to do well," Harmehar told ANI. She added that her teachers and parents supported her a lot. "It is very important to have such a support system. People used to stare at me, but then I got used to it and accepted everything. I was ready to battle therefore I started working hard and went back to school," she added. Although Grewal is now able to write with her right hand, her left side is still weak. "First thing to do after a tragedy is to accept it. Once you have accepted it, only then you can move on. All battles are won by the mind, so once you make your mind strong the physical disabilities don't count much," said Harmehar's mother Suvinder Kaur Grewal. Her long-term goal is to set up an NGO to help the differently-abled. "I was expecting good marks, but not this good," said Harmehar. (ANI)