History
Maj D P Singh, an Indian Army Veteran, was fatally injured in Op Vijay (1999, Kargil war) due to enemy shelling. From being declared dead once, he rose to become 1st amputee marathon runner, 1st blade runner of India and 1st Asian disabled to do solo skydiving.
In 2005, while serving in the Army, Major Singh had done a marathon car rally K2K (Kargil to Kanyakumari). He wanted to progress more in adventure rally sports, however it was denied by organisation, owing to his disabilities. Once he stepped out of the Army, he again failed to muster funds and support for rallies due to disabilities.
Choose your track cautiously but passionately, it may create history.
It took him 10 years, from getting injured in 1999 to 2009 when he ran historical half marathon to become 1st amputee to do so in India. In these 10 years, he got exposed to following realities:
- Challenges faced by amputees
- Condition of artificial limbs
- Negative attitude of limb making companies towards amputees
- Mindset of public towards disabled
- Miserable lives of many amputees
He, himself faced all the above challenges but could find the ways to live relatively better life. He found his own ways to live a free, qualitative and passionate life and rose to become marathoner, despite not getting any supportive resolutions to various challenges he faced in this journey.
As a soldier, he realised, it may not be possible for an average Indian amputee to improve the overall condition, so he felt the need of doing something in this field.
Just blessings of a good soul can create wonders.
It was after his 4th half marathon, which was his 1st marathon on blade, in 2011, he made a Facebook group, The Challenging Ones (TCO). The same was registered as a trust, NGO on 27th Jan 2012.
Why the name, “The Challenging Ones”? Amputees are also called Physically challenged. But Maj Singh realised that, if he is able to run marathons without a leg (most important part of body to run), which many able bodied are unable to do, then in a way he has more abilities in comparison to the able bodied. He feels, instead, he is a chosen one to do such activities, which conveys the real definition of “Ability”. In order to instil the same confidence in all amputees, TCO members are called the “Challengers” not “Challenged”. Therefore, the group of Challengers is known as “The Challenging Ones”