top of page

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.”

Linguistic Cornerstone

Updated: Oct 22, 2024

The Union Cabinet made a notable decision by awarding classical language status to Marathi, Bengali, Assamese, Pali, and Prakrit. Marathi’s elevation comes just ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly elections, a politically savvy gesture, while the timing of Bengali’s recognition coincides with Durga Puja, West Bengal’s biggest festival.

While this step in acknowledging the rich literary traditions that have flourished in the subcontinent is commendable, the significance of Sanskrit as the bedrock of Indian classical languages must not be overlooked, nor should it be relegated in this race to recognise regional pride. India has now officially recognized eleven classical languages, but while each of these has its own literary and cultural importance, Sanskrit remains unparalleled in its historical, intellectual and unifying influence.

The indiscriminate elevation of regional languages to ‘classical’ status risks diminishing Sanskrit’s unique role as their source. This could even fuel an anti-Sanskrit sentiment, as seen in Tamil Nadu, where promotion of regional languages has sidelined Sanskrit.

To appreciate Sanskrit’s vital place in not just India’s cultural heritage but the world’s, one must look back to the 18th century when British philologist Sir William Jones discovered the startling resemblance between Sanskrit and classical European languages like Greek and Latin. His declaration in 1786 that Sanskrit was a common root of many Indo-European languages forever altered the study of India’s antiquity.

Sanskrit has long been a vehicle of civilisational discourse, being the language in which the Vedas were composed. It is the scriptural language of Buddhism and Jainism, whose texts travelled as far as Southeast Asia and Central Asia, shaping cultures beyond India’s borders. From Panini to Kalidas, Indian litterateurs have considered Sanskrit the crown jewel of their intellectual tradition.

It is undeniable that languages like Marathi, Bengali, and Odia have their own rich histories, producing luminaries like Tukaram, Tagore, and Sarala Das. But to elevate these languages without reaffirming the primacy of Sanskrit risks losing sight of the broader legacy that binds them together. Sanskrit is the foundational language from which many of these languages borrow not only words but entire conceptual frameworks.

While the Modi government has introduced measures to integrate Sanskrit into education, these lack a comprehensive strategy to restore the language’s prominence. Political sensitivities may play a role, as Sanskrit is often, though mistakenly, viewed as a Brahminical language, entangled in caste dynamics.

At a time when India’s cultural politics are more inward-looking than ever, with an emphasis on vernacular pride, Sanskrit’s universality must be upheld. It is, after all, the thread that runs through the fabric of India’s civilisational history, connecting north and south, past and present, regional and national.

Comments

bottom of page