Puttamani is a tutor at a local Community Education Centre in Harave village of Chamrajnagar district. She spends every evening interacting and mentoring children by providing supplementary support for their curriculum enjoying each moment.
However, participation in society has not come easily to this 21 year old lady. Puttamani had polio in her right leg when she was 3 years old. She spent her growing up years left alone by her peer groups all through school and college. None of her class mates was open for a friendship with her nor was she involved in any sports or cultural activities.
By 2007-2008, Puttamani had completed studies up to class 12, around when the ELO programme initiated work in Chamrajnagar. After being persuaded by her brother, she attended a Self Help Group (SHG) meeting that was facilitated by ELO in her village. She was surprised to see 16 others with disabilities participate in the group. Along with them she attended many awareness programmes on issues like causes of disabilities, social and physical barriers in society and various schemes for people with disabilities. Being literate among the group, Puttamani took up the responsibility of book keeping of the group’s accounts after undergoing some training.
According to Puttamani, gaining recognition in the community and being self – sufficient are the most significant changes in her life.She is now an office bearer of the Grass Root Federation (a cluster of SHG’s) and also of Chiguru, the Taluk level federation. She also underwent surgery, was provided home –based therapy and fitted with assistive devices to enhance her mobility.
Making good the lost time of being secluded in the past years, Puttamani is scaling new heights with her involvement in the CEC’s, the Sangha and the Federation.
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