Now, I nurture two more dreams. I want to complete my graduation soon and set up a small sports academy for less privileged kids.
From darkness to light
There was a time when I was a budding national level sportsperson and dreamt of becoming a star. Javelin, shot put and karate were my favourite sports. And then everything changed. As luck would have it, I lost my eyesight completely. I became an object of pity and ridicule, but I kept going. Notwithstanding their limited means, my parents enrolled me in a special school and I cleared my Standard 12 examination with flying colours. I also won a medal at the National Paralympics. Still, a job eluded me and I was dependent on my mother’s meagre income for my needs.
My mother motivated me to join the free ‘Vegetable Nursery Farming’ course offered by the local centre of ICICI Foundation’s Rural Livelihood Programme. The comprehensive training was a transformational experience for me. Armed with my new-found knowledge, I started my own nursery. The 20,000 saplings that I nurtured, fetched me my first income!
With guidance from ICICI Foundation’s team, my mother and I graduated to cultivating mushrooms. We are successful mushroom farmers today and our income has trebled. I sell our produce through conventional means as well as WhatsApp groups. Also, I share my experiences with other trainees at the Foundation’s centre and encourage them to become self-reliant.
I still cannot see the world with my eyes but thanks to the guidance from ICICI Foundation and my mother’s faith, there is light all around me.
Next Success Story:
Bindu Yogi from Tilawad Govind village, Madhya Pradesh