By: Smitha George
Kannur: For the staunch optimist the word, ‘impossible’ can also be read as ‘I’m possible’ . They make seemingly impossible things possible with their dedication and hard work.
‘I’m possible’ is also the title of a short film , directed by Robins M. Issac that documents Shyam Prasad’s journey to becoming a reputed economist against all hurdles posed by cerebral palsy and autism.
Prasad was born in Edakkanam, Iritty of Kannur district in Kerala to a teacher couple, K. Usha and A.P. Prabhakaran. He was soon diagnosed with cerebral palsy, which confined him to the bed, restricting his movements and delaying his milestones.
His parents never gave up on him. With the help of doctors from Government Medical College Kozhikode, Kerala they decided to do what was medically possible to give him a near-normal life. He was unable to do anything on his own initially. But slowly Shyam began to respond to medicines and physiotherapy. He had great difficulty in speaking, holding things and walking on his own though.
When the time came for him to start school, his parents enrolled him in a regular school despite his visible disabilities. “Although Prasad had problems with the normal movement of his body, he was very sharp in comprehending things,” says Usha, his mother.
Usha quotes her husband as saying: “Every problem has a solution”. She thinks that this positive attitude kept them going.
Prasad’s life and career is a study in motivation. With the help and support of his family and well-wishers, he evolved from a physically challenged child to an emerging economist, who has already presented papers in as many as 13 international seminars.
After completing post-graduation from University of Kannur as the first rank holder, Prasad pursued an M Phil course and doctorate at the Centre for Development Studies in Thiruvananthapuram. He worked as a research officer in the Institute of Rural Anand in Gujarat and as a post-doctoral fellow in the Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research in Mumbai before joining the Central University of Kasaragod ,Kerala as an assistant professor.
Differently able people are are not looking for your sympathy. What they want is a community that understands them, Prasad says.
In addition to being a motivational story, the film ‘I’m possible’ also gives valuable lessons on how society and the system should take care of its differently-abled citizens. It also points to the failure in the system with regards to its preparedness to accommodate such people in the society’s mainstream in such a way as to utilize their potential for the common good.
“When such a child is excluded from society, that is the problem of the society, not his,” says Prasad in the film.
Prasad’s request is: “Never exclude someone from the mainstream of society because he is disabled or less intelligent.”