“There is no greater disability in society, than the inability to see a person as more.” – Robert M. Hansel
In 2019,Claw Global launched Operation Blue Freedom which is a team of former special forces officers working towards inculcating skills and providing a platform to people with disabilities to live their dreams by the means of adventure sports. Claw Global launched Operation Blue Freedom on 17th June,2019 with the realisation that people with disabilities and special forces soldiers share a mutual mindset- to Survive, Stabilise and Thrive.
Major Vivek Jacob who served as Special Forces Operator for 14 years, suffered a spinal cord injury and met an Air force officer, Flt Lt Bhaduria, who was permanently paralysed from the waist down for four years. A promise made by Major Jacob to take Lt Bhaduria for scuba diving sowed the seed for Operation Blue Freedom & a new promising journey began, one of conquering the land,air & water & empowering the specially-abled.
Operation Blue Freedom is a journey to experiencing our own deepest self. It is a movement to express the potential and the powerful spirit of people with disabilities. The aim of the Operation Blue Freedom is to eliminate the stereotypes the society has regarding people with disabilities. “Operation Blue Freedom” is made up of three different words each of which denotes-
Operation– Military style task, Do or Die situation.
Blue– Signifies India, the ocean, the sky and is also a soothing colour.
Freedom– Expressing oneself and finding value in whatever we do, It denotes the liberating experience.
Operation Blue Freedom team has travelled and trained more than 100 people with disabilities in Scuba diving across India. The team started with no financial support. They pooled money from their pockets and pensions. However, because of their dedication and determination, magic always happened. It was their goodness and morality that always led them to success.
By serving the specially-abled people, they are not patronizing, they are co-learning and growing together. One thing to learn from specially-abled people is their mindset. They are more courageous and strive to live life to the fullest. Facing challenges in their daily life has made these people more resilient and fearless.
One of the things that we as a society are not doing the right way is reacting to people that have some type of disability. Almost everyone looks at them as they are not humans, and not just the way we look at them, the way we speak and interact is also different. We are all people and we have to remember that at all times, those people didn’t choose to be born or have that disability.It is time to give thought to how we can reshape our societies – where we live, where we work and where we grow – to enable all of us to enjoy the same freedom of movement and access to all aspects of life. People would have much more secure lives if societies were structured keeping in mind the needs of all people. Instead, our societies stratify and separate disabled people.
Picture your life without the ability to walk or see or hear, not being able to care for your basic needs, or even embrace those you love. Meet Nicholas Vujicic. Without any medical explanation or warning, Nick was born without arms and legs. In 2005, Vujicic founded Life without Limbs,an international non-profit organisation and ministry. In 2007, he founded Attitude is Altitude, a secular motivational speaking company. Faced with countless challenges and obstacles, Nick believes that God has given him the strength to surmount what others might call impossible. This is just one example. There are so many others who are so full of hope and courage & are overcoming their everyday obstacles with so much grace.
On that note how can we not mention about Mr. Naveen Gulia, an ex-army officer & world record holder in advernture sports,was featured at Kaun Banega Crorepati as part of special “Karamveer” episode. For two whole years he was unable to move, lying in a hospital bed but he never gave up. He exhibited the same through his decision & action & was the first person in a wheelchair to go through the scuba diving experience
Operation Blue Freedom is a journey of hope, inspiration, resilience and freedom. It is their quest for freedom of people with disabilities.The aim is to provide a liberating experience to these people through adventure sports. On land, they are restricted but underwater, they are free.
We applaud the courage of every single team member & we salute the mettle of every specially-abled person.
