LOSING a leg must surely be one of the most traumatic experiences anyone can suffer. But thanks to a worldwide drive by Rotary International, thousands of people are being fitted with new artificial limbs.

The Rotary Jaipur Limb Project helps people who have lost all or part of their legs.

In India's commercial capital, Mumbai - previously named Bombay - the Rotary Club of Bombay Airport has been funding a Jaipur Limb Centre since 1995.

The centre costs 20,000 rupees (£257) a month to run. It is entirely funded by Rotary donations, including the salaries of two technicians.

The centre has already helped 2,000 people of all ages. A foot can be fitted in a day, but the patient will continue to visit the centre for alterations and maintenance.

In India, most limbs are lost in train accidents, although infection and disease account for some amputations.

Thanks to the technology involved, Jaipur limbs can give people back their mobility and independence.

Someone with a false leg can not only walk, but ride a bike or climb a tree.

Workers at the Mumbai centre have played a crucial role in their patients' lives.

"One middle-aged man lost both his legs on a railway line taking a short cut," recalls one. "It was very sad to see. When he came in here, his wife carried him.

"He was a successful businessman but he had to have both legs amputated above the knee. At first we fitted very short limbs, but gradually each month we built it up by a couple of inches until he had his full height."

The artificial limbs can offer patients enormous freedom, but the mental scars of their accidents are often deeper.

"Sometimes people think you fit a new foot and it will be magic," says one of the technicians at the centre.

"They think they will be able to start walking and running everywhere. That doesn't happen. It takes time. We must teach them. Initially you just take a few steps."

Seema Chautalia lost her foot two months ago after developing an infection which turned into gangrene. The 21-year-old has visited the centre to have her artificial limb fitted.

"It doesn't hurt. It just aches a little", she says.

"I'm very comfortable with my new leg. I cried a lot when my amputation was done. Now I'm feeling the difference and I can walk."

Madhur Gawde is 20 years old. He lost both his legs six years ago when he fell under a train.

The problem is that in India the train service is massively overcrowded and passengers hang out of the open doors, even as the trains speed along, leading to frequent accidents.

"The train was crowded and someone pushed me," he says.

Nowadays Madhur is able to work - he runs a telephone booth - and has got on with his life, thanks to his two false legs.

l There are more than one million Rotarians in more than 31,000 Rotary clubs in 167 countries. Rotary International is a worldwide organisation of business and professional leaders which provides humanitarian aid and helps build goodwill and peace in the world.