Javed Ahmad Tak
Left using a wheelchair after being shot during the conflict in Kashmir, he built a school and a movement for the rights of people with disabilities.
Javed Ahmad Tak was in the final year of his science degree when a bullet changed his life. He survived, but with a severe spinal injury, and has used a wheelchair ever since [2][3]. What he did next has helped thousands of people with disabilities in Jammu and Kashmir.
His guiding motto, in his own words, is “Be a part, not apart” [2].
Starting from his bed
Javed grew up in Bijbehara, in Anantnag district of Kashmir, in a middle-class family [2][3]. He was hit in the spine during the conflict in Kashmir, and for a long time he could not leave his bed [2][3].
He did not give up on being useful. While still confined to bed, he began teaching children from poor families who could not afford tuition [2][3]. Later, he went looking for children with disabilities who had dropped out of school. The first group was just four students [3].
He kept learning too. He went on to complete a master’s degree in social work at the University of Kashmir [3].
A school and an organisation
Javed set up an organisation, the Humanity Welfare Organisation Helpline, to stand up for people with disabilities and open the door to learning for them [2]. In 2008, that work grew into a proper school, formally registered with the education department [2][3]. Today it is known as the Zaiba Aapa Institute of Inclusive Education, in Bijbehara [4]. According to his official citation, he has given formal education to around 200 children with different disabilities [2].
Changing the rules
His work has gone beyond the classroom. His Padma citation credits his advocacy with several changes in Jammu and Kashmir, including putting the job reservation for people with disabilities into practice, creating a full-time post of Disability Commissioner, and arranging scribes for blind candidates in competitive exams [2]. The citation estimates that his efforts have affected around two lakh people with disabilities [2].
Recognition
Javed received a National Award for the welfare of persons with disabilities in 2004 and the NCPEDP Shell Helen Keller Award in 2007, among other honours [2]. On 25 January 2020, the Ministry of Home Affairs named him for the Padma Shri, under Social Work, from Jammu and Kashmir [1]. He received it from President Ram Nath Kovind in November 2021 [3].
His story shows how one person, starting with almost nothing but determination, can open doors for many others who are too often left out.
Sources
- [1] Press Note: Padma Awards 2020 — Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. Accessed 11 October 2026.
- [2] Padma Shri citation: Shri Javed Ahmad Tak — Padma Awards portal, Government of India. Accessed 11 October 2026.
- [3] Model Struggler — Kashmir Life. Accessed 11 October 2026.
- [4] Visits Bijbehara, Anantnag — Kashmir Reader. Accessed 11 October 2026.
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