Wheelchair-bound Eric Paul gearing up for 4000 km road trip to promote 'Swachh bharat'

Life is not usual for paraplegic and wheelchair-bound Eric Paul who, after a recent Limca Book of Records entry for driving 6,000 km in 7 days is now gearing for a road trip from Leh to Kanyakumari.

The 28-year-old who is paralysed from chest below aims to set a new record by completing the 4000-km road trip from one tip of the country to another in a record time.

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Delhi-based Paul, who works with the Taj group of hotels, plans to promote the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (Clean India Mission) during his mammoth road journey, raising awareness on the flagship scheme of the Centre. Eric, who used a customised hatchback car with hand controls for the record-setting trip said,

I am paraplegic (paralysed below the chest) and confined to the wheelchair since February 2012, due to an accident. This dreadful incident pulled me down physically and mentally for around two years but I kept my spirits high and decided to move ahead in life to achieve my goals and be a motivation to thousands of people who are going through the same phase of life. Last winter I completed the Golden Quadrilateral road task of the Limca Books. I drove from Delhi to Mumbai and then Bengaluru, Chennai to Kolkata and then all the way back to the national capital from where I started my 6,000 km trip. It took me less than seven days, including night stays at various places, to complete the entire journey to set the record

Paul says he had been nurturing a passion for driving since childhood but a single accident changed his life leaving him bed-ridden and depressed for nearly two years.

Eventually with the support of my family and physiotherapist, I gathered my bearings and tried to move on. I approached my employers, for work and they were kind enough to shift me on to the desk, he said.