My boundless Gratitude to Visu Sir

27-05-12

Whenever I watch Visu Sir on movies I felt like seeing Appa (father). Today he helped me a lot like a father in reaching the main objective of my movement “Yes, We Too Can!!!” (creating awareness about the rehabilitation impact and recreational effect of swimming on the challenged people as well as the elderly people) by providing me an opportunity to share my experiences with hydrotherapy/swimming in his popular TV show “Makkal Arangam” in Jaya TV. With this, my movement reached majority of Tamil knowing people across the globe. This telecast, I expect, will give a tremendous boost for my efforts to achieve the goal. After telecasting of this episode I started receiving so many mails and calls enquiring about hydrotherapy/swimming from the challenged as well as elderly people. I strongly believe that in future Government will come forward to provide required infrastructure facilities as per the request and expectation of these people. I sincerely hope philanthropists may also come forward to support the poor challenged people to become healthy and active through this Hydrotherapy.

Whenever I think about the affectionate support of Visu Sir, my eyes become wet. I don’t have words to express my gratitude for him. I pray  God to bless him with long and healthy life to support the cause of as many needy people as possible.

Links for the Programme: Part 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4IFEMEyC5I Part 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vksPafcu-L0&feature=plcp

A message from an Ideal Personality - Mr Steve Thompson

15.05.12

Mr Steve Thompson, is one of the very top officials in our Standard Chartered Group. The picture shown below was taken when he visited India recently. His concern for the people in general and differently abled in particular is really incredible. He is popular in our fraternity as a people oriented personality.

I like to share the experience of my first meeting with him. In the early months of my joining in Scope, he came to our office. At that time he gave a presentation to all our colleagues. But I could not attend it as the meeting hall was in first floor in another building (There is lift facility from back side. But we didn’t know about it at that time). While coming back from the presentation he saw me sitting alone in our work place. He enquired about me and came to know why I didn’t attend the presentation. Immediately he told my boss about his decision to do the presentation again for me. I was flabbergasted and felt very happy for his concern. I thought he might brief me the highlights of his presentation. But to my amazement he did the entire presentation (for one and a half hours) for me again. At his level every minute is highly valuable. Sparing that much time by a top executive for my sake is really unbelievable. I have no words to explain how happy I was at that time. So many people supported me in so many ways in my life. But this type of incident never happened to me.

By this caring and humane action he tried to communicate the following message to his fraternity:

1.     If we are not able to provide the required facilities for anybody who is in need of them, then we should invariably take the responsibility of reaching to them.

2.    He guided his junior colleagues how to support the people with special requirements.

In his recent visit he enquired about my activities with great affection. He felt very happy for the kind support extended by our CEO Mr Edwin, Mr Kwan, Ms Gita and Mr Saibal for my initiative in helping the fellow challenged people in sports.

They are my role models and I am sincerely treading their path in supporting the people in need.

Meeting with the patrons and Paralympic Swimming Assn of TN members and other supporters

03.05.12


All our Assn members (Paralympic Swimming Assn of Tamilnadu),  Chief Patron Mr Narsa Reddy, Patron Mr Ish Anand, Mr Singaravel, Mr Ramachandran, Mr Murty from IIT, Chennai, Ms Nagi and Mr Vinoth from Scope Int'l Pvt Ltd, Mr Nagesh met at Sri Sugum Physiotherapy Institute and discussed about the arrangements for the National event which we decided to conduct tentatively in December'12 in Chennai. It's a fruitful discussion.

Meeting with the IIT students who are interested in my initiatives

06.04.12

Impressed by my lecture at IIT, Chennai, Mr Shankar, a professor from Dept. of Engineering Design in IIT, came along with his students and met me today. All of us met at Mr Ananda Jothi’s Sri Sugam Physiotherapy Institute at Mahalingapuram. I am grateful to Mr Anand and Mrs Preetha for hosting this get-together. It was an interactive session. Foregoing the pleasures of holidaying they attended this get-together arranged at their request. This shows the interest and enthusiasm of the students. Mr Shanker is very much successful in inspiring his students to think about new ideas. Hats off to this dynamic professor!

Manushya Puthiran, a famous Tamil poet, also attended this meeting and shared his experiences. Mr karthik also joined with us. I have explained to them with the help of Santosh how we are trying to improve Karthik’s typing speed to make him more competitive in the job market. One of the students explained how his cousin, who is a challenged person got benefitted with the support of Ayurvedic Medicine. Mr Anand explained to them the facilities available in developed countries for the challenged and also requirements needed from medical point of view.

I am very happy that my relation with IITians didn’t stop with my lecture at IIT. It is my fervent desire that a bond of friendship will forge ahead with them in the days to come.

I wish one day all the IITs in the country will become more sensitive to the needs of the people with special requirements (including senior citizens).  

Famous Tamil Poet Manushyaputhiran shared his experiences with us

Mr Ananda Jothi explained the requirements from medical point of view 

Another view of audience

Tamilnadu Handicapped Federation Charitable Trust

24.03.12

Tamilnadu Handicapped Federation Charitable Trust invited me to their 12^th State Level Conference and presented me Achiever Award. Chief Guest Mr Nataraj, I.P.S. was very much impressed when he came to know that I am a national Swimming Champion. Physically challenged people from entire Tamilnadu came there to participate in this conference. I met there another award winner Kamachchi, Int’l Badminton Player from Madurai. I took this opportunity to inform all the participants about the formation of Paralympic Swimming Assn. of TN and our decision to conduct 12^th National Paralympic Competition in Chennai. I requested the interested people to give their details to arrange for coaching with the support of Govt. & philanthropists.

Kamachchi from Madurai, Int'l badminton Player

Mr Nataraj, IPS, Mr Chidambaranathan, Ms Aruna and other Guests

Lecture at IIT

22.03.12

Feelings expressed by Preethi, Ass Prof of IIT, Chennai after my speech. 

Thursday, 22 March 2012

"Differently Abled?"

There was a lecture by a "differently abled" person today on the campus. I read the notice about it - partially - the way I read emails these days. I was intrigued. I love attending lectures such as this but in recent times I have rarely managed to. The best phase of my life for this was my post-doc years in Cambridge...

The child was going to be with me all afternoon today. This person - who lost use of her legs in childhood thanks to a polio attack - was going to talk a bit about swimming. So I figured it would be a good thing for the two of us to go to, as long as it did not go on for a very long time (and started on time).

To cut a long story short. It was the most mind-blowing lecture I have been to in recent times. I am not un-used to people who are able to overcome their problems, fight the good fight, and come up on top. Sure there are lots of examples out there and I am not un-aware of those examples. But this one touched my heart so deeply...

Oh! The way Madhavi spoke! Very simple. To the point. Direct. Like an arrow. "I want to say that I like engineers - its obvious why. Its because of engineers and their designs that I have all this" she said, pointing to her walker, her wheelchair, and videos of her driving a car.

"Whats the most important thing for a person like me?" she asked a room that was so quiet, you could hear a pin drop. The answer, which this room-full of IITians couldn't really come up with was, "Independence- the simple ability to do the things you guys do so routinely - climb up stairs, walk, run, go to the beach and dip your feet in the water" No, she didn't say it in a melodramatic fashion, very matter-of-fact...

And yet I sniffed into my handkerchief too many times to count. While Madhavi sat there in a little plastic chair, her laptop open in front of her, her nearly useless legs splayed in front, her quicksilver fingers flying across her keyboard. And this beautiful smile on her face the whole time. & I practically broke down when she pointed to a video where she is walking under water and said "Do you see my legs actually walking without support?"

"Tell me one thing you might design that might be useful to someone like me" she challenged us. Some person in the audience told her "Throwball would be easier"when she asked us what it would take for her to play volleyball. I almost got up and punched the guy in the face. "Oh you disabled woman, throwball rather than volleyball for you." - is that what he wanted to say? & Why?

"That might be true, but I want to play volleyball" Madhavi smiled at him. And I wouldn't be in the least bit surprised if she does, and does a fab job of it. She learnt swimming at 38 years of age and won 4 golds at the national paraolympic competition recently. She says she will climb the Mt. Everest one day... if she feels like it.

"I am strong willed but being a national swimming champion has boosted my confidence incredibly" said Madhavi, "not boasting, just saying that it has changed me" To some extent, you had to be there. She has this presence. Yes, a presence. This tiny dynamo, with just two working limbs and a slightly bent body, who made this room full of "normal" people feel so very tiny and insignificant.

"I blog" she told us. I wrote it down and read it. You can find it here: Madhavi's Blog. I hope to meet her sometime soon. But before that I really hope that I have some answers for her...

Today it’s a memorable day for me. I gave lecture in prestigious IIT, Chennai. I have great regard for Engineers. I shared my experiences with the students. I explained to them in detail how technology supported me in leading my life independently. I also requested for their support in making the lives of the challenged kids active and healthy through technological support. I have shown them some examples. Professors Ms Sujatha from Mechanical Engg Dept., Mr Srinivasa Chakravarthy from Dept. of BioTech., Mr Sundar from Mathematics Dept, Dr B.S. Murthy from Metallurgical Dept and Ms. Chandra and the Students received me with great affection. They are very much impressed with my speech. They promised to arrange accessibility for the differently abled to the pool in their campus and also expressed their willingness to extend technological co-operation. Students promised to me that they would be sensitive for the requirements of their fellow beings and they told that my speech gave them new ideas to extend support for the society. Students only made all the arrangements for this lecture. They planned and executed everything in a meticulous manner. Thanks to all the professors, Girish, Vignesh, Srivathsan and all other students. I hope in future with their support we can do wonders for our differently abled kids.

Preethi, another associate professor expressed her feelings in the following blog immediately (within  minutes) after my lecture. Preethi I don't have words to say anything after seeing your feelings. I don't think they are words, I could see only your feelings.  Thank you so much Preethi.

http://kennybunkportmaine.blogspot.in/2012/03/differently-abled.html 

 

Neelkanth - an Electronics Engineer and my friend

11.03.12



Mr Neelkanth an Electronics Engineer is a very good friend of mine. He is very much interested in designing electronic gadgets to support the challenged people.