A strong, independent young woman
Heena Sharma is a wheelchair user from Delhi who is an aspiring singer. She has won many prizes and has participated in many events too. Heena aspires to sing in Bollywood someday. Music was exciting and most importantly, therapeutic for Heena Sharma, 28 years old. This wheelchair user from Delhi was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy when she was a baby. So her path to being an independent and empowered young woman began from a young age. Heena has participated in various music competitions and bagged prizes for her skills. Heena’s voice has added to the charm and beauty at many events. She believes in living life to the fullest. A disability cannot stop her. Heena studied in inclusive schools. So she only has fond memories of her childhood. Her peers and teachers understood her needs and never sidelined her which did help Heena a lot in many ways. She completed her class 12, under-graduation, and post-graduation too. In the meantime, Heena prepared for competitive exams to get a bank job, which was her dream for a long time. Due to the Covid crisis, she has been unable to fulfill the procedures to take it up to the next level. “I have attended interviews at a few companies who denied me saying that they do not have facilities to hire a wheelchair user. They say their office is inaccessible and comes up with so many reasons. It is unfortunate that we still have a long way to go when it comes to making workplaces disabled friendly and inclusive”, says Heena. Since a young age, she has trained herself to do things on her own. She travels around Delhi city on her own and mostly uses the metro facilities, thankfully Delhi metro is largely accessible. Heena, who loves traveling, hopes that she can be a globe trotter. She has visited Shimla, Mussoorie, and Visakhapatnam with her family. Her family comprising of parents and sister are Heena’s strongest pillars of support.
Following dreams
According to Heena, her love for music began while studying in class 4. Her parents used to play ‘bhajans’ or devotional songs at home which Heena used to hear and repeat. She later attended formal music classes from a nearby institute which boosted her confidence. She has numerous awards and recognitions to her credit and is looking for more. “I am passionate about music because music is what gives me happiness”, says Heena who hopes to sing songs in Bollywood with her talents. “I want to sing in as many platforms as possible”, she says with a smile. “People think that because you have a disability, you cannot do things on your own. It is high time to see our abilities beyond the disability”, says Heena adding that her friends from school and college add more color to her life.
