Friend in need: Dinesh Gupta holds out hope to the handicapped. Photo: Prem Singh

It may be a tired cliche, but it tells the story. Where there?s a will, there?s a way. And where there?s Dinesh Gupta, there?s hope for his 200-odd ?friends?, united ironically in misery and mirth.

What began as a mission for Gupta is now cause for cheer for Delhi?s citizens with physical disabilities. Friends Organisation, a fraternity for the disabled that Gupta helped found in 2003, has, over the past two years, become the point of convergence for those who refuse to let physical incapacity get the better of them. And with about 20 members and another 200 on his mailing list, Gupta is out to make a difference to his new family, in whatever way possible.

If that speaks volumes for Gupta?s benevolence, it also tends to understate his own hardships. Born a spastic, the 30-something Delhiite has beaten several odds. In his quest for an identity and independence, Gupta has risen above his speech problem and the lack of coordination between his brain and muscles to embrace life in the way any another person living without a disability would. And now, he is trying to inspire others to follow in his footsteps.

?After all, we have normally functioning brains, and possess a soul as sensitive as anyone else?s,? Gupta says. ?And people like us need to step out of our cocoons and find our footing in society. Above all, we want society to accept us as its integral members.?

Resting back on his chair in his one-room office in west Delhi, Gupta elaborates on his objectives. The problems for a handicapped person begin right at home, he explains. Most parents refuse to recognise their children with physical disabilities as ?normal?. ?And I have always tried, in my own way, to help these people get over their insecurities and come out under the sun,? he says.

The reason, says Gupta, is because he wants people, despite their handicaps, to be economically independent. ?A day may come when someone will lose his or her parents,? he says. ?With no one to fall back on, life could then be very hard for us. Though I still have my parents, brother and sister-in-law backing me, they won?t be there forever.?

And Gupta makes it a point to practise what he preaches, confirms Dr Ratna, a former in-charge of the National Service Scheme (NSS) corps of Deen Dayal Upadhyay College (DDUC), located right next to Gupta?s office. She relates how, one day, Gupta approached the college authorities seeking permission to instal a photocopy machine within its premises. ?Though he comes from a well-to-do family, Dinesh was trying to start a venture of his own. And the photocopy machine would provide him with a means of income,? she says.

?Moreover,? adds Dr Ratna, ?Dinesh was always trying to create job opportunities for other people. So he insisted that the newly-installed machine be operated by a handicapped person.? At present, a young boy called Ankur, who can?t walk, operates the machine in the college, and draws a monthly salary from Gupta.

Apart from promoting ways of income for the disabled, Gupta also tries to better their social lives. ?He often gets men and women to interact with each other, a move that could bring about marriages,? she says. ?Besides, he arranges get- togethers on a regular basis, where members come together with their relatives and friends and discuss their problems and try to work out solutions.?

Friends Organisation is close to the college fraternity, and Parmesh Ratnakar, who teaches English literature at DDUC, is among those in touch with the outfit. ?Given Dinesh?s predicaments, his efforts to keep the organisation going have been extraordinary,? he says. ?Over the past two years, he has arranged getaways for its members to Gwalior, Hyderabad, Chennai, Tirupati and Dharamsala, and these excursions have given his friends a chance to savour a special slice of life.?

Not to be forgotten are the bashes that Friends Organisation throws for its members once in a while. Ratnakar speaks of the New Year party last year that Gupta arranged for his friends in Hauz Khas, in collaboration with several NGOs and colleges. ?It was remarkable,? he comments.

And after all that he has already achieved, it?s clear that Gupta isn?t done yet. Sana Qamar, a second-year college student who helps Gupta with his paperwork, says Gupta isn?t a person to take injustice lying down.

?On many occasions in the past, he has shot off letters to authorities regarding civic problems that disabled people may face,? she says. He has written to railway minister Laloo Prasad Yadav requesting concessions for the handicapped, to Delhi chief minister Sheila Dixit for special phone booths for the disabled and to finance minister P. Chidambaram for tax concessions.

If and when there is money to spare, Gupta also plans to open a hostel for the disabled. ?Given the sky-high real estate prices in the city, it could give people like us an affordable living option, especially if we want to live independently,? he reasons.

Gupta isn?t sure if his plans will eventually see the light of day. ?But it?s the effort that matters,? he says. For his friends, that?s assurance enough.