What they don’t teach you in schools and colleges

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character qualities, College, Guldasta, Happiness overloaded, Happy, Inspiring You Tuber, life skills, Maj Pradeep khare, Online course, Parents, School, social skills, Students, Successful, teachers, Youth

                                       

I am sure all of you have gone to schools and some of you have studied in Colleges too.

There are many subjects taught in educational institutions like languages, Mathematics, Sciences, Humanities, Engineering, medicine, law, etc. Conventional wisdom tells us that students should get high marks in school to get into a good college, then get high marks in college to get selected for a good job which will then lead to a successful career. However, a study by the Tata Institute of Social Science Research has shown that there is no correlation between students’ academic achievements and their success in life.

“Education is what survives after you have forgotten what you learned at school “opined the famous psychologist B. F. Skinner.

What is meant by phrase being successful in life? Does it mean getting a good job and earning a high salary? Or leading a happy and peaceful life as a responsible citizen?

“Formal education will make you a living; self-education will make you a fortune,” said Jim Rohn.

Many students who can be termed average or poor in terms of results are working in top-notch companies or have started own business and doing really well. They may not have scored good marks but they acquired life skills besides formal education. A peep into their lives shows that self-education acquired through reading, interacting with people, and passionately chasing their dreams, made them really successful.

We have a long list of college dropouts like Jack Ma, Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, who made it big, leaving behind toppers. Many of the topper students could not clear interviews to get decent jobs and ended up as a round peg in a square hole. Hence real parameter of success should not be achievements like degree-promotions-pay checks but should be happiness-peace-love!

I would like to reiterate, that by no means, I am trying to underrate the curriculum or dissuading students from putting their heart and soul in studies and excelling therein. I am looking at a broader perspective of developing a balanced personality leading to happiness and success in the real sense of the term.

In a constantly changing environment, having life skills is an essential part of being able to meet the challenges of everyday life. It is difficult to believe, that people are hired for plush jobs because of high IQ, but they are fired because of low EQ.

Do you know that out of every four people three are not happy? Do you know that more than ninety percent of the people are so busy that they don’t have time for themselves or their families? Do you know that stress is the biggest killer in the age group 30 to 40 years? A recent survey found that over 70 % of people the age group 30-50 are obese. The increasing rate of crimes committed by so-called educated people puts a question mark on the relevance of degrees in the present context. Strained relationships not only in families but also among neighbors and colleagues at work are posing a serious challenge these days. Road rage, bullying, violence, rapes are threatening the social fabric of our society. Precious resources like water and electricity are being wasted and nature is being rampaged. The values of helping, sharing, and caring are soon becoming extinct.

I don’t mean to paint a gloomy picture of the things to come. There is certainly a solution. The teaching of schools and colleges needs to be augmented with life education, developing character qualities and inculcating certain traits that enable a person to become a better version of oneself. This way we will make this world a better place to live in.

101 such life skills have been explained in my book “101 ways of becoming better”. It is available by clicking on the link https://www.amazon.in/dp/9382524770

Besides this, I am uploading powerful videos regularly on my YouTube channel Guldasta which will facilitate you to become happy and successful.

.https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCim06yvacuWXV2qr8oFTzNg/videos?view=0&sort=dd&shelf_id=1&view_as=subscriber

To fill this ever-widening gap between formal education and education for life we have designed an online course which includes the following:

1. Understanding success and failure.
2. Be a good listener
3. Learn to say ‘no’
4. How to maintain cordial relationships.
5. How to create a good first impression.
6. How to overcome procrastination.
7. How to manage your time.
8. How to handle criticism.
9. How to identify real friends.
10. How to spend limited time on social media.
11. Mobile etiquettes.
12. How to apologize properly.
13. How to develop a civic sense.
14. How to get over the fear of public speaking.
15. How to remove clutter and get organized.
16. How to remember names.
17. How to maintain good health.
18. Culture, heritage, and nationalism.
19. Developing the reading habit.
20. Care for the environment.
21. Goal setting.
22. Value of money.
23. Manners and etiquettes.
24. Coping with stress.
25. Helping and the joy of giving.

The link for enrolling for this online course is available on our website Happiness overloaded.

 

 

Victim of Child Marriage becomes IPS Officer

Tags

ambition, career, child marriage, dreams, IPS, officer, police, struggle, upsc

When faced with failure or rejection, most of us lock ourselves in the darkness to run away from sadness, pain, and disappointment. We usually tend to blame other people for the bad things that happen to us. It doesn’t matter if it is about a bad relationship, a bad career, or a bad marriage, many of us find rescue in blaming others for the failure.

But there are only a few, who don’t indulge in the blame game. They rather focus their strengths to make sure life circumstances don’t stop them from achieving their dreams. N. Ambika is one such courageous woman, whose life has inspired many men and women, who felt helpless while fighting against their life circumstances.

N Ambika was just 14 years old when she got married to a Police constable at Dindikal, Tamilnadu. In spite of being a victim of Child Marriage, she didn’t blame the system. At the age of 18, she blessed with two daughters Aigan and Niharika.

Ambika’s husband was a Police Constable in TN Government. The initial years of marriage were spent in bringing up the children. Somewhere deep in her heart, she nurtured dreams of acquiring an important position in society. One day he went to attend a ceremonial Parade program in which IG and DG of the locality were the guests of honor.

Ambika was impressed with the respect and honor were given to the DG and IG. After returning home she asked her husband “who were these officers and why are they given such VIP treatment.? “Her husband said, “they are high ranking IPS officers “. It was then, that she nurtured a dream of becoming an IPS officer herself. The first challenge was that she was married at a young age, so she could not complete her SSLC. Her husband supported her, so Ambika could pass SSLC, PUC, and graduation through open distance learning. The nearest coaching for Civil Services exam was available only in Chennai. She stayed in PG accommodation in Chennai and attended the coaching classes.

Even after three sincere efforts, she failed to clear the exam. Her husband was a bit disappointed and advised her to give up and come back.” I will be having two stars on my shoulders by the time I retire” he added. Ambika listened patiently and said,” please give me one year, I will try again, If I don’t succeed, then I will come back and work as a teacher in some school.”

Ambika put in her heart and soul and finally cleared the prelims, mains and interview in 2008 to become an IPS officer. During her training at the IPS Academy, she was a batchmate of Ravi D Chennanavar DCP Bangalore, who used to describe her as an attentive and brave officer. Ambika now works as a Deputy Commissioner of Police North Mumbai.

N Ambika

Ambika has become a role model for many women. We are not only celebrating the courage of Ambika but also her husband’s immense sacrifice, support, and patience. Ambika’s story is the source of great strength for many of us, who are struggling with our circumstances and feeling helpless.

So rather than giving up, Ambika’s story inspires us to be brave and start our journey towards our destiny. Though this brave woman was a victim of child marriage, she refused to spend her whole life blaming the system. Rather, she dedicated her life to fighting against the system and win over it – to bring the change.

Overcoming challenges

Tags

competitive examination, District Collector, Gujarati medium, IPS, Safin Hasan, UPSC CSE 2017

“The challenges we face in life’s journey are not to reveal our weaknesses but to help us discover our inner strengths. We can only know how strong we are when we strive and thrive beyond the challenges we face.” 
― Kemi Sogunle

Safin, was born in a poor family in Kanodar village in Palanpur district, Gujarat. His parents, Mustufa and Naseembanu, used to work in a small diamond unit, where their earnings were so meager that they could hardly make both ends meet. After the recession his parents lost their jobs. His father started working as an electrician and his mother started making chapattis in bulk for restaurants, marriages and functions. His mother used to wake up at 3 am and make dough of 20 to 100 kgs flour for making chapattis the whole day. Ironically she used to earn about Rs 5000 to Rs 8000 per month. His father used to sell black tea and boiled eggs in the evening.

During one of the functions the District Collector was the Chief Guest. He came escorted by armed bodyguards, and was given a warm welcome. Young Safin asked someone, “how does one become a Collector?” He was told, anyone who works hard and clears a competitive examination can become a Collector. That was the day Safin found the mission of his life.

Safin studied in a Gujarati medium school till class He did well in studies as well as curricular activities. After passing class X with 92 % marks, some of his teachers who had joined a private school advised him to study there.His fees was subsidized from Rs 85000 to Rs 5000 only as he was a bright and deserving student. He used to teach poor children of Kanodar village during spare time ans also organize cultural activities for them.

A local businessman Hussain Polra and his wife, Raina Polra were so much impressed by the potential of Safin that they spent Rs 3.5 lakh from their own pocket. They funded Safin’s two-year stay in Delhi including the fees of coaching institute, his travel, lodging and boarding. Safin feels indebted to them as they are not even his blood relations.

Safin Hasan qualified UPSC CSE 2017 with Rank 570 in the first attempt. After clearing the prelims examination when he was going to appear in the mains examination he met with an accident in which his knee, left hand and head got injured. He found that his right hand was intact, so he took pain killers and went to appear in the examination. Later he confessed in an interview “I could not take a chance to skip the mains as I might not be able to clear even the prelims next year.” After that paper (GS3), he went for the primary checkup and gave next five papers in that condition.

Subsequently he was advised one and a half months bed rest to come back to normal. Safin is eligible to join the IPS, but he plans to appear in the Civil services

Exam next year and make it to the IAS which is his childhood dream. Safin has no complaints in life. He believes that God does everything for our good. He adds “God gives problems to those who can handle them”. He is grateful to his teachers and regards his parents as his role models.

In a message to the youth he says “Whatever be the situation, never regret. Have faith in yourself, accept and move ahead, success will be yours. “If you find a strong reason, why you want to be a civil servant, nothing can stop you.” he adds.

 

 

 

India’s first 100% visually impaired lady to join the Indian Foreign Service

Tags

blind., Braille, Challenges, dreams, encouragement, inspire

The phone hasn’t stopped ringing since the night of June 12, 2017, for NL Beno Zephine. The 25-year-old from Chennai was informed by the external affairs ministry on Friday that she has been inducted into the Indian Foreign Service, the first 100 percent visually-challenged person to gain entry into the 69-year-old service. She secured 343rd rank in the 2013-14 Civil Service examination but had to wait for a year for her appointment, as the government worked out the rules to accommodate her. She is presently working as a probationary officer with State Bank of India and is also pursuing a Ph.D. degree.

Zephine credits her parents for what she has achieved, saying her father took her wherever she wanted to go in pursuit of her dreams and managing to buy every book for this purpose. Her mother would assist her in studying the books, sometimes reading them aloud. She used to listen to the 9 o’clock news on All India Radio as a child. She said it helped a lot in her success in the Civil Service Examination.

Her father, Luke Anthony Charles, a railways employee, and mother Mary Padmaja, a homemaker, have been huge sources of inspiration for Beno. Born with the disability, she was educated at the Little Flower Convent for the blind. She transcended the dependence on Braille books by switching to Job Access with Speech (JAWS), a software that allows visually challenged to read from a computer screen, to scan Tamil and English books. She had a normal, happy childhood. Her only brother, Bruno Xavier, works as an engineer in Canada. No one in her family made a big fuss about her disability.

Talking about her love for talking she said,”I was a talkative girl then and I am a talkative woman now. I gave my first public speech when I was in upper KG; I spoke about Jawaharlal Nehru and won my first prize as a speaker – it was a steel plate. After that, there was no stopping me. Instead of wishing me good luck, my teachers used to tell me, ‘we know you are going to bring the cup to the school’. They were that confident about my oratorical skill and I thoroughly enjoyed speaking. The encouragement from my teachers and their confidence in me led to my success in public speaking. In college, I was often made Master of Ceremonies and I loved it.”

Till she was in the tenth standard, her ambition was to become a lawyer or a lecturer. In the eleventh standard, her dream was to be a civil servant, even though she didn’t know what it could offer her. It was just that she was interested in improving society. She didn’t like people wasting water – she used to make a big fuss when someone wasted water. People made fun of her, saying, ‘Here comes the collector.’ This triggered off a spark to prepare for the civil service.

When asked to give a message to youngsters, she said, “Challenges do come, but face them and devise your own strategies. Understand your strengths and weaknesses, “Beno draws her inspiration from American author Helen Adams Keller, who overcame the adversity of being blind and deaf to become one of the 20th century’s leading humanitarians.“I always like the words of Helen Keller where Madam had remarked, ‘I am only one, but I am still one. I cannot do everything, but still, I can do something. And because I cannot do everything I will not refuse to do the something that I can do’. These words really inspire me. Because I believed that I’d be able to clear civil services exam one day.”

Height of dedication

He was so hungry that he preferred to eat bananas worth four  rupees which was the tonga fare and walk all the way from his home town Dharuheda in the scorching heat of 40° C. He was carrying an iron equipment weighing 26 kg, which he had assembled, and was going to deliver it to the Company Continental Value at Sohna. This is how he delivered his first product.

Meet Mr. Ishwar Saini, Founder Director of Perfect Engineering Component Private Limited. Son of a teacher, Ishwar did B.Com in 1987 He wanted to do M.Com and then come a teacher, or take up some government job. His dreams were shattered when the was refused admission in M.Com. It was not easy for his father to meet the expenditure of four children, and the medical treatment of his ailing wife.

Educated in the village school and College, Ishwar was not confident of facing any job interview in English. Just when he was on the look out for some job, Dharuheda was declared an industrial area. Soon many industrial units and their ancillaries were set up there, Hero Honda was one of them.

He toyed with the idea of starting a small business, but no one had ever done any business in his family. Neither he had any money to invest, nor any technical qualification. His only asset was, a burning desire to do something better than others, and make it big.

Today his company can rightly boast of an annual turnover of Rs 18 crores. There are two production units in Haryana, and one in Rajasthan in which 120 satisfied workers are putting in their best. The quality of its products is so good, that it has bagged export orders.

Recalling his earlier days Ishwar says “I approached the Haryana Financial Corporation in Rewadi for a loan which was sanctioned.” He set up a workshop by installing two lathe machines, in his ancestral house in the village, and employed two operators. He managed to get maintenance jobs from some factories. In-spite of having no technical knowledge, Ishwar used to watch the work intently. He picked up some technical terms and used to work on the machines at night, to develop confidence. He took every work as a challenge.

Gradually Ishwar acquired knowledge about the functioning of machines in big companes. “I used to think of ways to make those machines more productive” he adds with a twinkle in his eyes. Meanwhile he found a life partner “Shakti” who true to her name has been a constant source of strength and support in all his ventures.

In 1992 Perfect Engineering got the contract of maintenance of wheel assembly machines of Hero Honda. It prepared a set of 1200 wheel assembly machines, whereas with the same resources, its competitor Bajaj Auto could make only 280 units. Saini employed 18 workers for this job as against 41 workers employed by his rival. This tilted the profits in his favor.

As luck would have it, the maintenance manager of the ancillary of Hero Honda, switched over to an ancillary of Bajaj Auto in Aurangabad. When he mentioned about the efficiency of Perfect Engineering, Saini was called upon to prepare a similar machine for Aurangabad Electrical, an ancillary of Bajaj, “I was foxed, because neither I had the capital nor the workshop to fabricate such a machine. To my surprise I was given a bank draft within a few minutes, to install the machine” says Saini with pride.

He accepted this big offer as a challenge, and delivered the machine ready in three months. Can you believe it, during these three months Saini did not leave the workshop even for a single day, he did not even meet his family. Such a level of dedication is difficult to find.This machine which produced more out put, with less manpower was one of its kind, and orders started pouring in. Ishwar Saini has travelled to China, Germany and Poland.

When asked about the secret of his success, Saini said “I maintain total transparency in the raw materials used, and never compromise on quality”, His products are about 30% costlier than those of his competitors, but still he never has to go to collect orders. They keep trickling in the auto system factory. Perfect Engineering Component Company is presently functioning from its new campus in Manesar (Haryana).

Joy of giving

It is a state function in Bhopal where the Minister of higher education, Government of Madhya Pradesh is conferring Laxman Singh Gaur awards to outstanding students, teachers and Principals. Professor Uttam Chand Jain is called upon to receive the award of Rs one lakh for the exceptional services rendered by him as the Principal of Maharani Laxmi Bai Autonomous PG College for girls, Bhopal during the year 2010-2011.

  Dr U.C. Jain 

The distinguished gathering of educationists claps to give him a standing ovation. It is not his being selected for the award, but his announcement thereafter that has made him larger than life. Dr U.C. Jain was quick to announce that he will not keep a single paisa of this amount for himself. In a generous move he decided to donate Rs fifty one thousand to Govt. MLB Girls College Bhopal. This money would be kept as corpus money and the yearly interest accrued would be given as prize to the toppers of B.A, B.Com, and B.Sc in rotation. After deduction of 30% income tax at source, Dr Jain decided to give away the remainder to four of his maid servants for the education of their children.

What a saintly gesture. In these days, when people are exploiting every available opportunity to fill their pockets, I wonder how angels like Dr. Jain appear on this earth! A soft spoken and cheerful person, he is man of few words. True to his name “Uttam” he turned out to be the best.

He had a very harrowing childhood, having lost his mother at the tender age of just one year, and his father, when he was ten years old. It is said those who don’t have anyone, have God on their side. It was his paternal aunt who played the role of God and brought him up like her own son. He took a lot of interest in studies and has always been a topper.

Having done M.Com and PhD from Sagar University,Dr. Jain applied for the post of a Lecturer. He got the appointment letter within a week. He joined at Govt College Bilaspur. During his illustrious career spanning over four decades, Dr. Jain has held many prestigious appointments, including 22 years as a Principal, and is presently the Additional Director in the Department of Higher Education. He is responsible for the coordination, supervision and inspection of as many as sixty six colleges of Bhopal and Hoshangabad region.

Dr. Jain feels he has got a lot from others. In fact he is reaping the fruits of helping others, at every possible opportunity. He wants to pay back to society always and in every way .With the blessings of God, his sons, daughters-in-law, daughter and son-in-law are all well settled. He said “instead of leaving fixed deposits for them, he would prefer to help the needy ones” What a noble thought, put into action.

When asked to give a message to the people he said “do your duty with full dedication and honesty”. He spells out his secret of success “hard work” and “there is no short cut to success” he adds. Two years to go for his retirement, he plans to continue his mission of helping people and making this world a better place. No one can feel the joy of giving ,better than him.

(The above success story is based on the interview of Prof. U C Jain by Maj Pradeep Khare)

A tailor’s son becomes an IAS officer.

                   Seventy two year old Virendra Rajput’s ramshackle house in a non-descript village in Bhind district has suddenly become the attraction of the entire neighborhood. An ordinary tailor by profession, he is popularly known as ustaad in the village for his hand-to-hand combat style in the Akharas. Virendra, a father of three sons and a daughter, had lived with only one dream – to give his children good education. It has paid rich dividends; his son Nirish has cleared the prestigious Civil Services examinations. Friends, relatives, and media people, are pouring in to catch a glimpse of Nirish, who has become the hero of the day.

It is difficult to believe that Nirish has been living in a 15 by 40 feet house in village Mau in Gohad tehsil of Bhind district. The economic condition of the family can be gauged from the fact that had to work at odd jobs, and even deliver newspapers door to door. He studied in a government school and went to a modest college in Gwalior. Financial constraints even forced him to take a two years break from his studies. His father and two elder brothers, who are contractual teachers, started investing most of their savings to support Nirish in achieving his big dream. His success has also cleared another myth “students from public schools alone can do well in these exams,”. After the demise of Nirish’s mother, it is the father who is keeping the children’s spirit alive. “My father has told me not be disheartened and to reappear in the exam in the next year”, he added.”Even when my mother was alive, I never saw them disgusted or heard them grumbling over money matters,” he said.

Nirish appeared in the civil services examination not once, but three times earlier but failed. It is not easy to face failure, more so if you are from a poor family. The pressure of taking up a job to supplement the income of the family is always mounting. He continued to chase his dream of becoming an IAS officer by putting his heart and soul into studies, undaunted by failures. With continued enthusiasm he appeared once again and sure enough, he passed with an all India rank of 370.

Life has posed many challenges in the path of Nirish.He happened to share his dream with a considerably rich and respected family friend, who was very shrewd. He lured Nirish to help him to set up a coaching institute in Uttarakhand, and promised that he would help him by providing material to prepare for his Civil Services examination. But two years later, after the coaching institute started paying rich dividends, he was insulted, disgraced and literally thrown out.”What is your worth? You are good for nothing. We no longer want you”, that were the last words I heard from the members of that educated and rich family, said Nirish. “Next moment, I was jobless, homeless, penniless and remained hungry for a week, till help came to me”, he narrated.

“I did not know how to become an IAS officer, but I knew that clearing the country’s top examinations can change my fortune”, he said, adding “that poverty cannot be a hurdle if one has determination and is willing work hard.”One day Nirish left for Delhi to study. “In Delhi, I became friendly with Ankit, who was preparing for competitive exams. I started living with him at Mukherjee Nagar and studied 18hours a day. I did not attend any coaching classes as I could not afford to pay the hefty fees. I studied from the books and notes of Ankit,” he said.

Nirish says the time has come to pay back to society. He plans to help and guide IAS aspirants from economically weak sections to achieve their dreams. He doesn’t want them to face the problems which he had to face. May his tribe increase!

Cancer could not scare him.

                        A fifty six year old Divisional Engineer of BSNL had been leading a very active life, following his daily routine of getting up early in the morning, doing regular practice of yoga. He is a staunch vegetarian, tee tottler and non smoker. He is jovial, with a good sense of humor, believes in enjoying life, living in the present and helping people. In his own words “even at fifty six, I used to feel like thirty six.”

He could not believe his ears, when the doctor told him that he had a malignant tumor in the esophagus which was cancerous. His mind was just not prepared to accept it. When the doctor found that he was not showing any signs of shock effect, and was continuing to behave in a light humored manner, he had to say “come on Mr. Panse, be serious now” Even this could not disturb his stable state of mind. He told the doctor “don’t worry about the biopsy report, just tell me what needs to be done now”

 Mr Shyam with his better half Shobha      

All this was happening in the clinic of Dr. Girish Naik, a surgeon in Indore. On the basis of the biopsy report the doctor advised surgery. Still not taking it seriously Mr. Panse said “what if I don’t go for surgery?”, “then you will not survive for more than two months” said the shocked doctor. Panse was not prepared to die in a month, so he asked the doctor to spell out the time frame of getting the surgery done.

In fact the signs of trouble started showing about two months earlier. Panse was having fever, burning sensation in his chest and lose motions. He felt decreasing appetite and increasing weakness. One day, he felt   so exhausted while in office that he dozed off to sleep. When his son came to know of it, he insisted on getting a medical checkup done.

To get a second opinion, Panse showed the endoscopy and biopsy report to Dr. A.K. Waghmare who was also his friend. So much so, that Panse would offer to help him with odd jobs, even in the operation theatre. Dr Waghmare was not prepared to do the operation himself, being a close aide. He referred him to Dr Sanjay Kumar Sharma a cancer surgeon of Mumbai.

It is said that behind every successful man there is woman. Mr. Shyam N Panse is singularly fortunate to have Mrs. Shobha as his better half. When she learnt about her husband being diagnosed of cancer. She was working with FCI Bhopal. She did not lose her calm, but decided to take him to Mumbai for treatment. Any other lady in her place would have wept, cursed everyone including God, gone in depression and become a liability for the family.

Before leaving for Mumbai in 2004 to get the operation done, Panse called his brothers and close relatives to meet him. “I arranged a party for everyone” he said with a twinkle in his eyes. Anyone else in his place would have been sulking, fuming fretting and making life miserable. “When the relatives were departing, they were hugging me as if, it was our last meeting” adds Panse.

After the surgery on 12 April 2004, he was discharged after 15 days. There were a lot of medicines to be taken daily. These resulted in acidity, lack of appetite and weakness. His weight reduced from 80 kg to 50 kg and his waist came down from 39 inches to 29 inches. It was difficult to take more than one biscuit or half a chapatti at any time. He could drink water slowly in sips, with pause in between. Even coconut water had to be taken in three installments.

After two months of bed rest, Panse joined duties. The diet restriction and weakness continued for about two years,. “I was advised by Dr Sharma to take one tablet of Imatinib 400mg thrice daily for the life time. This medicine was very costly and used to act like a bullet in the body” recalls Panse.

He used to go for six monthly checkups to Bombay hospital. After his retirement in 2008, Panse used to get the check up done in Navodaya Cancer Hospital Bhopal. In 2010 he was advised by one of the doctors of Jawaharlal Nehru Cancer Hospital to discontinue the dose of Imatinib because “if cancer has to strike again, it will, whether you take this medicine or not, but generally it doesn’t”. Trusting his advice, Panse discontinued it. His appetite became better and his weight increased to 57 kg. Just when he felt that the worst was over, he was put to another test.

He started having pain in the liver in March 2012. He consulted one doctor in Bhopal who was foreign return. His treatment was very expensive, but his condition deteriorated. When his weight and hemoglobin count decreased, the pain became very severe and he could not eat anything, he consulted another doctor. After endoscopy and CT-scan, Dr Upasini said” since you have got the earlier operation done in Mumbai you should get the next one done there only.” Panse contacted Dr Sharma in Mumbai and he asked him to come immediately.

The CT-scan and other tests revealed a 15 cm cancerous growth on the liver. Dr Sharma was surprised as to why the dose of Ematinid was discontinued and why he did not come to Mumbai four months earlier. Now that the liver had been infected a liver specialist had to be consulted. The surgeon said “ I will do the operation, but I don’t know the result, so you pray to God” Panse remained unperturbed as he thought “even if I die, there is nothing to lose, as I have lived long enough, and fulfilled all my responsibilities”. On 25 Aug 2012 the second operation for cancer was successfully performed in SL Raheja Hospital, Mumbai. With regular medication including the dose of Imatinib 400 mg Panse took one year to recover.

His strong will power coupled with a positive bent of mind, defeated cancer and he emerged victorious. He has no regrets. He is leading an almost normal life with few restrictions like lifting weight, running, exerting shouting etc. Panse is cancer survivor who is spreading awareness, and clearing myths about cancer. He addresses people on cancer day and is a living example to drive home the point “yes, cancer is curable, provided the patient doesn’t lose hope and maintains the will power to recover”

He takes his father who was an army personal as his role model. In spite of five heart attacks, he survived and always remained cheerful. His teacher Shri M R Abhyankar also acted as his guide and mentor. Panse remembers his words “it is not important how long you live, but it important how you live” It is the quality of life which is governed by your thoughts. He sums up his philosophy of life in these words “happiness is not at the end, it is on the way, so enjoy every moment of the day”.

(The above success story is based on the interview of Mr SN Panse by Maj Pradeep Khare)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kartik -not allowed to appear for IIT-JEE going to Stanford University .

         

                    Visually impaired Delhi student Kartik Sawhney has repeatedly been denied permission to appear for the IIT-JEE in the past three years because of his disability. However, in March 2013, he was awarded a fully funded scholarship to pursue engineering at Stanford University in the US. On May 27, 2013, when 18-year-old Kartik Sawhney who  scored 96 per cent in his Class XII CBSE examination, was denied permission to appear for the IIT-JEE three years in a row, just because he was blind, and there was no provision for blind students to take the exam.

                             Appearing from Delhi Public School, RK Puram, he scored 99 %in computer science (his favorite subject) and 95% each in English, Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry; his total is 479 out of 500.         

Talking about the challenges he faced when appearing for the CBSE exam Kartik said “Since no other blind student had pursued science in Class XI, I had to write several letters to the Controller of Examinations, CBSE, to make an exception. Along with my school principal Dr D R Saini, I must have written about 20 letters to the CBSE, after which they eventually considered my request.”In the absence of e books he used screen-reading software called JAWS, which converts text into audio. Till Class X he did not face so much difficulty because the textbooks were available in digital format. Only the classroom notes had to be keyed in separately.

                       “In Class XI, however, I had to seek help from my peers and family members, who would dictate the chapters from the textbook while I typed them into the computer. The syllabus for Class 11 and 12 was extensive, so I had to type about 100 to 200 pages every day before I could study them.” explained Kartik.Recalling some of the challenges, he says, “Studying with normal students wasn’t easy, and neither was choosing a stream of my choice.”Determination and perseverance are the key factors to his success — he simply would not take no for an answer.”A lot of people think that disabilities limit you from doing certain things. But I think success comes to those who believe in their strengths,” he states.

                        Sawhney, who comes from a middle class family — his father Ravinder Sawhney is a businessman and mother Indu Sawhney a homemaker — confesses that aiming high and making tough decisions at every stage was still easier than executing them. Prior to joining DPS, for two years he had undergone training at the National Association for the Blind, and was given special permission to use either a computer or a laptop to maintain notes.”But the transition from NAB to DPS wasn’t smooth. I continued to be dependent on digital material and since each session would not last beyond 45 minutes, I had to further sharpen my concentration so that I could take maximum notes. Both my teachers and friends at school were helpful. The teachers were kind enough to repeat themselves and also encouraged me to meet them after class if I had any doubts, but they could only do so much. I had to do the learning on my own, which was frustrating at times, especially because I would not understand simple descriptions.” adds Kartik.

                           During the examinations he was provided with a soft copy of the question paper, which he would install on my personal computer. The screen reading software would read out the questions. While others attempted them on paper, he had to type the responses on a computer. He was given the same time as the others, and he he had to take a printout and give it to the concerned faculty member for evaluation.

                              Surprisingly there was no provision for people like him to appear for the JEE, which is a highly competitive test. So between 2010 and 2012, he wrote several letters to the IITs in Madras, Kanpur and Delhi, respectively. Each time, they not only turned down his request, but were also rude to him. Although the IITs have a three per cent reservation for the physically handicapped; it is restricted to students with poor or low vision. Since he is totally blind he was not qualified to take the JEE.

                             Excited about going to Stanford for engineering Kartik says “Internationally, Stanford is the best place to pursue engineering. Ever since I understood computers, I have been passionate about computer science engineering. I have already designed this software called ‘STEM made easy’, which has two different applications and aims to help blind students like me study subjects like Mathematics and Science easily. With the benefit of a Stanford education, I think it’s not only possible to shape up my computing skills, but also try and develop applications that will improve the condition of the visually impaired back in India.”

                                Kartik draws inspiration from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, whom he met in 2005.He still remembers his words “son it is better to have vision and no eyesight” When asked to give a message he said “do not judge people based on what they lack; instead, focus on what they are capable of and if possible, help them get closer to their goals.”

 

 

 

 

 

He lost his sight but not his vision

                       Who says dreams can’t come true? Following the adage ‘Pursue your passion no matter what it takes’,  a small time musician Raju Rao seems to have set an example of sorts difficult for others to emulate. One hand on the synthesizer, the other on a keyboard, he works passionately in his home-studio in Bhopal. He makes his presence felt at light music shows here. Not only does he accompany visiting music stars, he also plays and sings solo in marriages and events where he solely gives out an enthralling performance. He never leaves an opportunity to make Bhopal hear a new song. Behind his shades are eyes that can’t see, yet behind the lyrics is a heart that never lets his visual impairment come in its way.

He rapidly scans sound files using a screen reader. The speed at which he works amazes those of us who have sight. “I used to waste a lot of time going to and coming from studios, technical problems in the system, and waiting “One day my wife said, ‘Don’t worry about the money. Let’s create a studio today.’’ ‘’That was seven years back and after that there was no turning back,” he says. When people came to know that he was planning to buy a computer, they used to make fun of him saying “how can you see the cursor and operate the mouse?”He used Jaws software to work on the computer, which he picked up all by himself. His dogged determination produced results in one year, when he recorded his own song and music. .“There were a lot of difficulties, but when you try and try again you succeed. His detractors cried in disbelief “you are feigning blindness “In fact Raju has memorized the position of all the keys on the keyboard. Surprisingly he did not get any formal training in music or Braille.

He prefers not to talk about his past. He says he learnt to play guitar as a child. His mother appreciated it and coaxed him to play better. One day, a priest named Franklin Rodriques heard him and invited him to play in a church somewhere near Bhopal. After that he became a professional. He moved to Bhopal after getting married to Pramila in 1998. It was an arranged marriage, in which Pramila with the support of her parents took the bold decision of accepting a visually impaired person as her husband, and supporting him wholeheartedly all his life. In her words “a blind person is also a human being” No wonder, behind every successful man there is a woman, and Raju attributes all his success to her. He counts the day he got married to Pramila, as the happiest day of his life.” My wife knew I loved music, and she did everything possible to help me in my work “says Raju with pride. Their daughter Sanjana has inherited musical talent from her father, and is giving voice to melodious songs, which are available on you tube.

Mr. Rao’s big break came in 2010 when he participated in a popular television talent hunt show. “Mumbai is an ocean of music,” he says, “I gained confidence. I began to sing ghazals and sufi

music. People liked it. It was Pramila who prompted me to compose songs, so I started doing lyrics, too. The multi talented independent musician also started penning down his thoughts in the form of songs, which have captured many hearts .Raju has made a place for himself by participating in reality shows like “India’s got talent “and “Mele ka big star season 2”on Big Magic TV. The judge’s comments in praise of Raju are fabulous. The videos are available at https://www.youtube.com/user/rajuraomusician

He has performed with noted singers like Ghulam Ali, Kavita Krishnamurthy and Anuradha Paudwal among others. Recollecting an interesting incident he says “I had composed a song for Kavita Krishnamurthy to sing, she came to the studio for recording, and took my advice how to sing it “His all time favourite remains Jagjit Singh whom he met in Indore once. He has also performed for Doordarshan’s Urdu ghazal programme.People have never been rude to me because I am blind. Most often, they don’t know who is playing in the shadows behind the lead singer. Nothing scares me more than an indifferent audience,” says Mr. Rao.In a message to upcoming artists, he says “don’t be scared of difficulties, have patience and don’t give up” “It’s been hard to come this far. If I need to go further, I must shift to Mumbai, but my roots are in Bhopal”