Differently abled, disabled, handicapped, crippled – the terminology might differ according to one’s ideological leanings, education and empathetic understanding.

However, ideology, education and empathy apart, each of the words brings forth a picture – of a life less abled, of a childhood stripped of its joyful essence, of an adolescence void of love’s sweet murmurings, of an adulthood dependent on others’ sympathy, of a forlorn past, a bleak present and an even unpromising future.

Yet amidst such intense suffering great fortitude often bloom and spread its sweet fragrance, as exemplified in the person of Soibam Birla Devi of Laipham Khunou Mamang Leikai.

The youngest of six siblings – four sisters and two brothers — born to late Soibam Ibomcha, a practicing traditional Maiba, and Mani Devi, a housewife, Birla’s initial years were one of joyful exploration and loving care as in the case of all children.

Soon after she crossed the second year of her life, tragedy struck, and the young Birla who had just learnt to walk on her own was soon sentenced to a lifetime of dependence on other’s support for even her basic physical functions. What was initially diagnosed as a kind of cyst near her left ankle soon required a minor operation.

But the real problem started after the operation. An important vein in the region of the ankle was affected by the operation and soon her left leg became paralyzed. Her spinal cord was also affected and her whole body became misshapen as a result.

In medical terminology, her condition is said to be “paralysis following cord compression at 711 to 12 pimps” making her 75 percent disabled. She also suffer from many other associated side effects of her condition such as kidney stones, piles and digestive problems, making her stick to just one square meal a day to alleviate her problems.

“We tried everything. We consulted many traditional maiba for their skilled massages, and performed so many rites to appease the gods. We went to Vellore, Guwahati and consulted many doctors, but nothing came out of it,” says Birla’s mother, Mani Devi. In her early days Mani used to weave clothes but now she spends most of her time looking after her daughter and helping her.

“The doctors at Vellore told us that there is no hope for any kind of cure. The only option is for them to cut up her body into bits and pieces and then re-structure all the pieces together to form a new body. We felt that this is no way one should live. Whatever shape my body is in, let me spend the rest of my days in peace with my body,” says Birla.

Birla makes dolls and other decorative items for a living. “From my childhood I liked playing with toys. I had no friends and these dolls were my playmates. Soon I learnt how to make them after closely studying the model my mother brought from the bazaar,” she says.

Laidhee (Dolls) of all shapes and sizes at the 2nd Eco-Crafts Bazaar, 2007