BENGALURU: Among the 932 partcipants at Bengaluru 2017 Walk, an annual walkathon held in January, was Sowmya K Bhaskar, a human resource manager from Bengaluru who recently moved to Hyderabad. Being 90 per cent blind, Sowmya has crossed out walkathon from her bucket list as she completed a 50 km trail from Nandi Hills in 17 hours along with three of her colleagues.

Sowmya K Bhaskar along with her
team at the walkathon

At the age of 10, Sowmya was diagnosed with Muscular Degeneration, a condition that gradually leads to vision loss. At that time, she only had three things on her bucket list – to become a doctor, earn her own living and pay taxes. The time was hard for her and Sowmya was in complete denial of her condition. Her family had settled in Belur town in Hassan district and were not sure on how to get Sowmya treated.

Sowmya had no option but to revise her bucket list. She decided to get a double major degree instead. Today at the age of 35, she holds two degrees – MBA and HR and Marketing. Walkathon was not really on her bucket list but now that she has successfully completed one, a second walkathon is definitely on her list.

“People mistake disability for complete dependency. I had to prove that wrong. I am blind, so what? I can still do what others do. The walk was my stand for equality and inclusivity,” says Sowmya.

She came to know about the trail walk at her office. She signed up for it but did not tell her family until the very last minute as she feared that her parents would panic and not sleep through the night.

Sowmya gives credits to her husband who supported her decision. Sowmya did not really practice for the big day. She walked about three hours only on weekends. On January 20, the day of the walk, she faced challenges. “I was mentally prepared to fall and get bruised, she says. “I could not anticipate the highs and the lows of the terrain and we were mostly walking on meadows and villages,” she adds.

On reaching the eighth check post, Sowmya almost gave up. A catch on the hip slowed her down even more.

However, her team mates did not leave her side. “What usually happens is that when one person slows down, he is left behind. In my case, all of us had our own problems but we enjoyed our walk together. We even shared ghost stories,” she laughs. She further adds that the experience led to a close bond with her colleagues.
Source: http://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/bengaluru/2017/may/15/around-nandi-hills-in-17-hours-1604819--1.html