THE SPINAL FOUNDATION - Key Persons
Dr. Naseema Hurzuk took over as the President, TSF, with effect from February 21, 2022. She became a paraplegic at the tender age of 16 years. Dr Hurzuk has received more than 80 local, state, and national level awards for her contribution to the rehabilitation of PwDs. She penned her autobiography called "Chakachi Khurchi" (The Wheelchair) in Marathi in 1999 that was translated in English (Naseema - The Incredible Story), Gujarati, Telugu, Kannada, Hindi, and Urdu.
She founded "Helpers of the Handicapped, Kolhapur" (HoH) in 1984 and led it as President for more than 36 years; HOH helped more than 13,000 Persons with Disabilities (PwD) with education, vocational training, medical aid, appliances, and employment. Dr Hurzuk resigned as President, HoH in July 2020 and formed a new organization, "Saahas Disability Research and Care Foundation, Kolhapur" (Saahas); it strives for comprehensive rehabilitation of PwDs. Saahas has collaborated with Shirol Taluka of Kolhapur District and started a residential vocational training cum rehabilitation center
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Committee
Late S Vaidyanathan served as the first Secretary of The Spinal Foundation. He was the co-founder of The Ganga Trust, which supports rehabilitation of the physically challenged, Spinal Care India and Running For Ability. He served as a Peer Counselor at the Mary Verghese Institute of Rehabilitation, a part of Christian Medical College (CMC), Vellore. Dr Suranjan Bhattacharji, a Gandhian and former Director, CMC, Vellore was his inspiration. (Vellore)
Late Major HPS Ahluwalia was a war hero from the 1965 India-Pakistan war in which he sustained a spinal cord injury. A few months earlier he had scaled Mount Everest. Subsequently, he founded Indian Spinal Injuries Centre in the late 1990s, and was a leading advocate for the SCI community. He was the Patron-in-Chief of The Spinal Foundation and served as its first President until his sad demise on January 14, 2022 (New Delhi).
Job Titles:
- Trust for Physically Handicapped
Dr. Naseema Hurzuk took over as the President, TSF, with effect from February 21, 2022. She became a paraplegic at the tender age of 16 years. Dr Hurzuk has received more than 80 local, state, and national level awards for her contribution to the rehabilitation of PwDs. She penned her autobiography called "Chakachi Khurchi" (The Wheelchair) in Marathi in 1999 that was translated in English (Naseema - The Incredible Story), Gujarati, Telugu, Kannada, Hindi, and Urdu.
She founded "Helpers of the Handicapped, Kolhapur" (HoH) in 1984 and led it as President for more than 36 years; HOH helped more than 13,000 Persons with Disabilities (PwD) with education, vocational training, medical aid, appliances, and employment. Dr Hurzuk resigned as President, HoH in July 2020 and formed a new organization, "Saahas Disability Research and Care Foundation, Kolhapur" (Saahas); it strives for comprehensive rehabilitation of PwDs. Saahas has collaborated with Shirol Taluka of Kolhapur District and started a residential vocational training cum rehabilitation center
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Committee
- Founder of Plegia.Org ( Chennai )
S Ramakrishnan sustained a cervical spinal cord injury during naval officer selection. Facing the most acute challenges, he forged ahead founding Amar Seva Sangam in Ayikudy, Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu. His organisation offers vocational training, schools, in-patient facility for spinal injured and works in 600 nearby villages. He pioneered networking spinal cord injured people in India. (Tamil Nadu)
Shivjeet Singh Raghav is a Peer Counselor and Patient Educator at the Indian Spinal Injuries Centre and President of the Consumer Committee of the Spinal Cord Society. He leads by example through his extremely active life despite severely challenging circumstances. He is widely travelled and brings networking skills with global peer groups. (Haryana)