National award-winning paracyclist Jagwinder Singh talks about how his parents were the originating point of his strength of character. By Ayushi Sharma

Without ambition one starts nothing. Without work one finishes nothing. The prize will not be sent to you. You have to win it.” So said Ralph Waldo Emerson, whose motivational words continue to inspire Jagwinder Singh, a national award-winning paracyclist. And he continues to ride his difficulty levels to inspire those less fortunate. “We have to be motivated and work hard to achieve our goals. Nothing will just be handed over to us. The only thing we get from life is what we put into it. I have now learnt this through experience. I realise that we must have the courage to do anything in life, be it cycling or may be reciting a poem.”

He is primed in time to run for humanity as Delhi is all set to host the third edition of the Super Sikh Run, a marathon organised for all participants beyond the feeble barriers of caste, creed, religion, sex, race and the challenges thrown by life. The run will start from the heritage site of Gurudwara Rakabganj Sahib in Lutyen’s Delhi, and will have a special category for differently-abled athletes. This year, the theme of the marathon is Run-De-Dilli. “It’s a great honour for me to be a part of this run. As the motive is to inspire everyone to be a superhero by believing in themselves,  I am sure it will ignite a new flame among the millions of differently-abled people to live like a real hero,” added he. Super Sikh Run is centered around the philosophy of, One Race Human Race.

Recalling his past, Jagwinder said though he had to face difficulties in life, it wasn’t as if his life had turned upside down, as are in the cases of people who lose their body parts due to unfortunate incidents. “I do not have both my hands since birth. So I did not have to deal with any traumatic situation physically, as I did not even know how it feels to be a person with hands. However, it was a cause of concern and problems for my parents.”

Thanking his parents for all the pains that they have taken in bringing him up, the armless cyclist said that his parents had always been an inspiration of his life. “The problem for people like me arises when parents do not accept the situation. My parents were different. Though our neighbours kept on discouraging them as to how would they raise me, they hardly paid heed to their words. After I started understanding the society, I also had to face these problems. However, my parents were of the view that their child should see the world, know the world whether they had to feed me for rest of my life,” said Jagwinder, adding that his father works in a boutique and does petty jobs to feed his family.

“My mother taught me to write and draw with legs. She is not that well educated but I consider her as a very educated woman. I want to tell all the parents not to underestimate their children with disabilities as every child has his or her own unique qualities. My mother also saw my desire to draw. She taught me to draw and I have even won a gold medal in drawing,” added he.

Major Devender Pal Singh, a Kargil war veteran, also known as  India’s first blade runner and Super Sikh Run Ambassador said, “We are proud of the fact that the run is today the most prestigious cause led Half Marathon race in New Delhi. This has been achieved due to the support and guidance that the event receives from the administration, patrons and participants alike. Furthermore we are taking a step forward, and this edition would also witness an addition special category, that is, Sahas, for differently-abled athletes.”

Some other prominent people at the conference included  Pritam Rani Siwach, former captain of the Indian women’s hockey team and Sohinder Singh Gill, CEO, Hero Electric India. Super Sikh Run consists of 5 km Chardi Kala run, 10 km One Race and the most popular Half Marathon race for those who like to go the long way. All categories are chip-timed and every runner receives a finisher’s medal and electronic certificate.

(The Super Sikh Run will be held on December 9.)