A polio victim himself, Gulzar is not just a Community Mobilisation Coordinator with the Social Mobilsation Network (SMNet) but also one of the stars of Irene Taylor Brodsky’s Oscar nominated documentary The Final Inch.

Along with Munzareen Fatima, another coordinator who is also a part of the documentary’s cast, Gulzar is hopeful that he will be able to eradicate polio completely from Uttar Pradesh.

In the state capital as a part of UNICEF and Media Nest’s Children’s Hour, both Gulzar and Fatima shared their experiences not just as coordinators but also as the stars of the film which takes India’s fight against polio across the globe.

“I feel really happy. I understand the worth of these two drops, as I am a victim of this disease. And today, the fight of all the coordinators like me has borne fruits,” says Gulzar. Together with CMCs like Fatima and Block Mobilisation Coordinators like Shabana, the SMNet of UNICEF has managed to make Meerut a zero-polio district.

“In 2007-08, not a single fresh case was detected in Meerut. And in 2008-09 so far, the situation is the same. We hope that by March-end not a single new case is reported,” says Shabana.

“We want Meerut to become a polio free district. And why just Meerut, we want the entire UP to be polio free,” she says. “After all, it just takes two free drops to stay away from this dreadful disease that not only cripples a child but his future and his family too.”

Incidentally, Gulzar was not a part of the film in the initial draft of the script. Brodsky, who had shot with Fatima, was roaming around the streets of Meerut when she met Gulzar.

“I saw her staring at me. She was going towards a mosque and I was surprised to see a foreigner showing interest in the old mosque,” says Gulzar. “I asked her the purpose of coming here. She was really impressed to hear me speak in English and also to know that despite being polio stricken, I work as a coordinator and aim to fight polio,” recalls Gulzar. He feels the film and the Oscar nomination will only take their fight around the globe.

For Fatima, the association as UNICEF’S coordinator began purely as a job. Mother of three little children, she joined the programme when she decided to bear the expenses of her children’s education herself.

But three years later, this has become her passion. “I don’t want a single house to be left out. I never step out of my house without my burqa as I know that I have to be a part of the community I aim to work with.”

Fatima, who is known as “Polio dawa wali appi”, has been often rebuked by the elderly, who strongly oppose the vaccine.

“They are not aware. But it is my job. Today, I know how to deal with each and every family in my area and how to ensure that every newborn and little child is saved from the clutches of Polio,” she says.

Communication Specialist from UNICEF, Augustine Veliath credits coordinators like Shabana, Gulzar and Fatima behind the success of the Polio Surveillance Programme.