India polio survivor stars in Oscar-nominated film

INDIA: Amid all the hoopla over the Oscar nomination sweep by "Slumdog Millionaire," there's a real-life Indian tale of beating the odds that is also vying for the prized golden statuette.

A 38-minute US film called "The Final Inch" has been nominated in the best short documentary category.

It documents global efforts to finally eradicate polio and profiles one of those stricken by the paralysing illness, 25-year-old Mohammad Gulzar Saifi, from the north Indian city of Meerut.

"Polio is not a disease, it's a disaster for many," said Saifi, who wears leg braces and moves with the help of a battered metal walker too small for his slender five-foot (1.5-metre) frame.

"I was lucky, I had a good family who looked after me but what about those who don't, those who are abandoned? I appeal to everyone to get their child vaccinated against polio," he told AFP.

The title "The Final Inch" refers to the fact that health officials say polio, which can paralyse a child for life within hours, is on the brink of being eliminated, thanks to mass immunisation.

Meerut, Wednesday, AFP