Ex-Special Forces officer is helping specially-abled people conquer land, water, and air

“Can I ever scuba dive again?" asked Flight Lieutenant Bhaduria to Major Vivek Jacob while sitting at a military hospital in 2015. Bhaduria had been paralysed waist down for the last four years due to an accident sustained during his years of service.

Major Jacob, a dedicated Special Forces operative with 14-years of experience, was in the same hospital as he had suffered spinal cord injuries in an unfortunate parachute malfunction during a combat skydive.

The conversation between the two provided Major Jacob with a profound understanding of the challenges faced by individuals with disabilities. Two years later, he voluntarily retired from the Special Forces and began a journey of exploration.

The interaction motivated him to start C.L.A.W Global (Conquer land, air, water), a social impact venture aimed at rehabilitating people with disabilities through adventure sports. Started in 2019, the organisation has dealt with different kinds of specially-abled people, including people with paralysis, visually impaired people, and amputees.

“We breathe adventure and live to explore. At CLAW Global, we aim to diffuse and institutionalise the ‘Special Forces Mindset’ to enable growth and freedom for one and all, with a special focus on disabled people,” Jacob tells SocialStory.

The beginning

Major Jacob, who lives in Chandigarh, comes from a family with a background in special forces. Despite not initially envisioning a military career for himself, he successfully cleared the National Defence Academy (NDA) exam and set out on a path to become part of the special forces community.

Major Jacob was a part of the 9 Para (Special Forces) unit. An adept specialist in counter-terrorism operations and precision combat shooting, Major Jacob's expertise spans various domains, including proficiently trained in activities such as skydiving, scuba diving, high-altitude endurance trekking, and unarmed combat. He has also overseen a multitude of combat, search, and rescue missions both within India and on international terrain.

“Life of a special forces officer is tough and unpredictable. You might get killed or maybe you are the one killing someone. You face death eye-to-eye each day,” he describes.

After seeking retirement from the forces in 2017, Major Jacob established C.L.A.W. Soon, many members from the special forces teams he had commanded and others, like the MARCOS (Navy Special Forces) he had met along his journey, joined him.

“There were no papers signed. Everything was based on trust and brotherhood the special forces share,” he says, adding, “Every member of the team was a seasoned soldier from the Army and Navy Special Forces, equipped with a multitude of specialised skills. Their training encompassed a wide range of disciplines, including mountaineering, skydiving, Scuba diving, unarmed combat, multi-terrain survival techniques, and emergency medical response.”

Major Jacob recalls that their journey has not been a bed of roses. From the start, all they had was a team of like-minded individuals without much financial support. “Now we run paid courses and have also partnered with the Indian Army, which supports our operations in terms of non-financial administrative and logistics support,” he says.

“We started with nothing, but it was sheer magic that we got in touch with the right people at the right time.”

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Helping specially-abled people

In 2019, the team of eleven started its first programme–‘Operation Blue Freedom’, which aimed to provide specially-abled people with more opportunities to engage in adventurous activities and thereby improve their physiological and psychological being.

Under the programme, they went to different cities such as Chandigarh, Delhi, and Mumbai to train specially-abled people in adaptive scuba diving in swimming pools. In the last stage of the programme, the team led a group of skilled specially-abled individuals to the shores of Lakshadweep.

The team trained around 100 specially-abled people in confined waters and around 24 people were a part of their Lakshadweep expedition. “The expedition also involved able-bodied people, and whatever money we received from them was used for its execution,” he explains.

Under the programme, the team launched another expedition to Siachen Glacier. A group of eight specially-abled individuals ascended to the Kumar Post, situated at an altitude of 15,632 feet, along with the CLAW team. The team ensures the specially-abled individuals are trained well before going to the expedition.

Akshat Rawat, a double-hand amputee, was also a part of the expedition. The team started with a march of 10 km in the Delhi Army base and then went to Leh and Ladakh for acclimatisation. They further went to reach out to Nubra Valley and completed a hike of 16,000 feet for practising.

“It was a great experience to conquer Siachen glacier. This world record was a whole new experience and a new adventure in my life. It gave me a sense of confidence to conquer anything and I am truly thankful to team CLAW for making this possible,” he says.

Recently, they also conducted Soul of Steel, a competition for able-bodied people that focuses on skill and endurance, set against the backdrop of the high altitudes of the Uttarakhand Himalayas. This event was a collaborative effort between the Indian Army and C.L.A.W Global.

The programme was officially flagged off by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on January 14 this year. The challenge was spanned over 12 weeks. During this period, participants underwent training in mountaineering, survival techniques, self-defence, navigation, and emergency medical skills.

“This training aimed to equip them with the capacity to function independently and self-sufficiently,” Major Jacob adds.

The team also offers courses which include basic skill and endurance training, trekking training courses, and more. The organisation is also focused on building human ability biomes for specially-abled and able-bodied people which are specially designed, self-reliant ecosystems that focus on holistic growth of an individual.

The organisation so far has only one centre in Puducherry where it plans to provide skill enhancement and education, training in adventure sports for rehabilitation, and employment opportunities at a subsidised rate. It is also conducting research on specific disabilities and rare diseases.

Major Jacob believes that humans have immense potential, however, specially-abled people are perceived as less in society. He wishes to break these stereotypes and provide collective freedom for all.

"Numerous individuals with diverse abilities aspire to engage in adventure sports. Unfortunately, they often face the misconception that these pursuits are beyond their capabilities. To address this, a collaborative endeavour is essential,” he says.

“I conceived a concept that offers benefits to both those without disabilities and those with. This approach encourages a unified effort in pooling resources to empower specially-abled individuals," he concludes.