Student with cerebral palsy refuses to take help of writer

When he was six months old, Pushkar Gulgule found it difficult to sit straight. As he grew up, his bowed limbs made it hard for him to even walk or hold a pen. Now 16, Gulgule, who suffers from cerebral palsy, is set to give his Class 10 SSC exams on March 7.

When he was six months old, Pushkar Gulgule found it difficult to sit straight. As he grew up, his bowed limbs made it hard for him to even walk or hold a pen. Now 16, Gulgule, who suffers from cerebral palsy, is set to give his Class 10 SSC exams on March 7.

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Cerebral palsy is a condition that impairs movement, posture and muscle control. But even though he finds it difficult to write continuously for long durations and has poor control over his limbs, he will not take the help of a writer.

A student of Hansraj Morarji School, Andheri, Gulgule has been studying for at least three to four hours every day and is anxious about his first board exams.

“He is a very strong-willed boy. He wants to write the paper on his own, even if it’s imperfect. His hands are weak, so he is a slow writer and has difficulty drawing diagrams,” said his mother Nutan.

“His eyes hurt if reads for too long, so I often read out to him. He is good at grasping and retaining information.

“The school has been co-operative. He also goes to Sanskardham, a support school in Goregoan, where they teach him physiology, home science and hygiene. He has chosen these subjects instead of maths,” she added.

Gulgule aspires to become a computer engineer.

“I like to work on the computer, play games and surf the web. I want to make this my career,’’ he said.