Though Oscar winning movie Slumdog Millionaire took away all the
attention, there was another small 38-minute documentary called "The
Final Inch" that vied for the prized award in the best short
documentary category. This documentary showcased the global efforts to
finally eradicate polio. The documentary profiled the life of
25-year-old Mohammad Gulzar Saifi, one of those stricken by this
illness.
Mr. Saifi, who comes from the north Indian city of Meerut says that
Polio is not a disease but a disaster for many. Saifi wears leg braces
and moves with the help of a battered metal walker too small for his
slender five-foot (1.5-metre) frame.
Mr. Saifi feels that he is lucky to have a good family who looks after
him but there are many who are not so privileged and are abandoned.
Saifi appeals to everyone to get their child vaccinated against polio.
But the illness is becoming difficult to wipe out and is still
prevalent in India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria. Besides, the
unsanitary conditions of living also act as a hurdle in the
eradication of this disease.
Saifi hopes that his central role in the documentary, made by Oregon
filmmaker Irene Taylor Brodsky of US, will help in eradication efforts
of the disease.
Saifi graduated from high school and speaks English fluently. But
after graduation he couldn’t get any employment. So, he started
coaching neighbourhood children, first in a tiny room at his home in a
poor district of Meerut, which is now growing day by day. He now
teaches over 60 children in English, maths and other subjects.
But Saifi has still not got any help from the local administration to
grant him a three-wheel, hand-operated cycle to help him get around
more easily.
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