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By:

Prithvi Asthana

20 August 2025 at 5:20:30 pm

From Wheels to Wings

After a life-changing accident, Priya Sharma turned pain into purpose through sport and dance, building a nationwide community for women with disabilities. Para athletes inspire the world with their performances, but few know their backstories. Even less attention is paid to the thousands of others with disabilities who continue to struggle every day. Priya Sharma, a para-athlete from Chhindwara in Madhya Pradesh, is trying to change that — not just for herself, but for many girls across...

From Wheels to Wings

After a life-changing accident, Priya Sharma turned pain into purpose through sport and dance, building a nationwide community for women with disabilities. Para athletes inspire the world with their performances, but few know their backstories. Even less attention is paid to the thousands of others with disabilities who continue to struggle every day. Priya Sharma, a para-athlete from Chhindwara in Madhya Pradesh, is trying to change that — not just for herself, but for many girls across India. Through  Dance with Wheels  (DWW), she has created a platform where people with disabilities can dance, turning struggle into strength and inspiration. Setback to Strength Priya Sharma, once a trainer under the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojna, saw her life change after a road accident in 2018. While returning from a 10-day training camp in Indore, the car she was travelling in met with an accident that permanently injured her spinal cord. Her lower body was paralysed, and unable to cope with her disability, Priya slipped into depression. During the Covid-19 period, when TikTok was still legal, she spent hours watching videos of wheelchair users dancing with their upper bodies — and found inspiration. The turning point came when Priya heard Paralympic medallist Deepa Malik’s story on the TV show  Kaun Banega Crorepati . She realised that if Deepa could achieve so much despite similar challenges, she could too. Slowly, she returned to sport and connected with disabled women dancers on TikTok. A sportsperson since school, she resolved to become a para-athlete and win a medal for India. In 2023, she won the state championship in javelin throw and was selected for the national meet in Pune, where she finished in the top 10. In 2025, she won gold in javelin and silver in shot put at the 15th MP State Para Athletics meet. After 2023, Priya began thinking about other women like her—with disabilities, struggling mentally and unsure where to turn. That led to the birth of  Dance with Wheels . What began as a small virtual group of two or three people has now expanded across 16 states, bringing people with disabilities together online through dance. Though Priya had no formal background in dance, she started it simply to empower women like herself. Today, it has grown into a nationwide community. Dancing Beyond Limits During 2025-26, the initiative engaged 37 women with disabilities and held 55 sessions. Its first offline event,  Astitva , took place in Jaipur on December 17, 2025, bringing together dancers from 16 states. The event aimed to bring women with disabilities out of their homes and help them feel empowered. Nine wheelchair dancers delivered a galvanising performance before an audience of over 350, proving that with the right support, people with disabilities can overcome immense challenges. Because travelling with a wheelchair is never easy, Priya Sharma also held special sessions to prepare participants. She taught them how to fold their chairs and care for their bodies during long journeys. Some travelled 20 to 22 hours to attend. All of it grew from Priya’s vision to change the lives of women like herself. Looking ahead, she said, "I want these dancers to compete for India in Paralympic Dance Sport, win gold for our country, and show the world that we are no less than anyone else.”

BMC auctioning three land parcels to raise funds, says Aaditya

Updated: Oct 22, 2024

Aaditya

Mumbai: Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray on Thursday alleged Mumbai’s civic body had decided to auction three land parcels to raise funds and make up for the “loot” of the metropolis by the Eknath Shinde government.


The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, which is being run by an administrator now, has decided to auction the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Mandi (Market), the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) Malabar Hill Receiving Station and the Worli Asphalt Plant, Thackeray pointed out.


“The sale of Mumbai is being done by the Eknath Shinde regime to benefit its favourite builders and contractors,” he alleged.


A criminal investigation will be conducted into the matter after the Maha Vikas Aghadi government comes to power, Thackeray added.


“So on one end, they looted the BMC and Mumbai and gave the money to their favourite contractors. Now, by auctioning these iconic and important land parcels, the BMC will be left without both funds and plots,” the Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and former state minister claimed.


When Shiv Sena started controlling the BMC in 1997, its finances were in deficit but by 2022 his party turned around the fiscal health of the civic body, Thackeray said.


Alleging that the Shinde government wants to drive Kolis and fisherfolk out of Mumbai, he said, “We will oppose this. It has to remain and be made into a fish market, and (should be) in the ownership of the BMC.”


Aaditya puppet for urban naxals: Shelar

Bharatiya Janata Party ( BJP ) Mumbai chief Ashish Shelar has called Uddhav Thackeray’s son and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray as a puppet for urban naxals after former’s comments on the Dharavi Redevelopment project and has also challenged him for a debate.

Ashish Shelar said that the project is a necessity and a priority project, adding that Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena and Congressleader Varsha Gaikwad are peddling lies.

Aaditya Thackeray seems to have become the spokesperson of urban Naxals. Without studying the subject (Dharavi) in detail, Aaditya Thackeray is speaking like an ignorant. I have seen that these people have been trying to set a narrative regarding Dharavi and the re-development work,” Ashish Shelar said.

He challenged Aaditya Thackeray and Varsha Gaikwad in a debate on the Dharavi Redevelopment Project.

“Uddhav ji and the people of his party – Aaditya Thackeray and Varsha Gaikwad have started this false narrative regarding Dharavi. I openly challenge Aaditya for a debate. I want to ask him that 70 per cent of the homes in the Dharavi Redevelopment Project will go to Marathi people, Muslims and Dalits. It is their rightful home, so why are they putting roadblocks by creating a false narrative?”

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