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Moin Shah
Mohammed. Samir, 17, remembers the night of February 24, 2020 that would have turned his life upside down and forced him to drop out of school. He was returning from an ijtima (religious group) to his home in Mustafaabad. A scuffle broke out in front of him and an unknown assailant shot him.
Shrapnel hit Samir’s spinal cord, resulting in hemiplegia, a condition that paralyzes the lower half of the body. He escaped injury but was bedridden for two months. The accident happened when he was in the middle of ninth grade in a government school in Mustafaabad. He had to drop out.
After a two-year hiatus grappling with his condition, Sameer finally decided to enroll himself in Class 10 in 2022, taking classes online. Last week, the National Institute of Open Schools (NIOS) announced the results of the board exams and Samir cleared the tenth grade.
“The happiness was so uncontrollable, I was afraid I would fail. Three years of school is a long time,” he said, reacting to the results.
His mother, Shahana Parveen, said that she is happy with her son’s success and hopes for a brighter future. “Now he will pass grades 11 and 12, and then he will get a job,” she said.
Mohammed. Sameer with his mother, Shahana Parveen
Sameer’s father, Mohamed Zakir, sells grass used in air coolers. For Zakir, the news comes as “a much-needed relief” amid the success of his business with the advent of factory-made honeycomb coolers.
Samir, the eldest of nine siblings, says he is ambitious and wants to set a standard by becoming a doctor.
“I feel strange because I can’t speak English. If I go out, I should know how to speak English. I plan to start studying for the same. I want to do MBBS after class 12.”
During these three years, Samir developed a hobby for singing, which, he says, helped him get rid of the stress caused by the injury.
“My life took a turn after the bullet hit me, and I didn’t even know what I could do. For over a year I wasn’t sure if I was going to be okay or not.”
He chose to learn music because it “didn’t require him to move from one place”. It has brought me much satisfaction. I have a teacher, Madame Organisation, who gives me lessons every week.
Samir has also recently incorporated exercises into his routine to gain strength and movement in his legs.
Looking at the turn of events, Samir is grateful to all the people who supported him. He wished he had received more support from his school when the accident occurred, so that he would not be required to drop out.
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