Punjabis on wheelchairs

Prabhjot Singh

RECENTLY while I was in Toronto, wheelchairs became a common sight. The reason: this business capital of Canada was playing host to the Para Pan Am games that brought together special athletes from all over Americas and the Caribbean. The wheelchair rush in Toronto and its suburbs was understandable. However, when I landed at the Indira Gandhi International Airport on the day the Para Pan Am Games were to end, an unending queue of wheelchairs greeted me.

The aerobridge linking the aircraft with the terminal building had thus restricted the movement of passengers alighting from a nearly packed flight from Brussels. The Belgian capital, incidentally, serves as a European hub of a major private airliner of India. In the absence of any North American air carrier operating on the Canada-India route, this private airliner gets a major share of Punjab-bound air traffic. 

It is apparent that wheelchairs are meant for those special passengers who cannot walk long aisles of airports, either because of physical handicap, or sickness. Though I have been travelling between India and Canada for over 30 years, never before have I witnessed such a rush of wheelchairs.

Normally, a couple of wheelchairs are used to assist physically handicapped persons, both at the time of boarding or deboarding an aircraft. As of now, the wheelchair service is free. Once airlines start levying a fee for special services, as they have done for most other services, including check-in baggage and onboard catering, the demand may drop.

The scene at the airport also reminded me of gurdwaras where the number of benches or chairs inside prayer and langar halls has also been rising. I wonder whether these worrisome changes are lifestyle related or for other reasons. Punjabis in general, and their women in particular, are known for their active lifestyle.

Surprisingly, the beneficiaries of wheelchairs and special benches or chairs in gurdwaras are generally women. I wonder how is it that Punjabi women, known for their strong physique, corporal endurance and good health, are rapidly turning wheelchair savvy. Is it just because of physical disabilities or is it the assisted priority in immigration and customs clearance that lure more and more aged air passengers from Punjab to opt for the wheelchair?

Until a few decades ago, the presence of a bench or a chair inside the prayer or langar hall was a rarity. But now it has become a necessity. 

Believing that all those who request wheelchairs during air travel, or those who prefer to sit on chairs or benches inside gurdwaras, have ‘genuine’ physical problems, there is a reason to feel concerned over the growing incidence of physical deformities among aging Punjabis.