People of Value

New Delhi

Visakhapatanam

Karimnagar

She is blind and making it big in the corporate world

At any given day she transacts money to the tune of Rs 4 million in Foreign Exchange and rubs shoulders with the best corporates in Forex trading. But this makes it even more special for forex dealer, Nafisa Buhariwala, since she is visually impaired, and probably the only one in the world in this position with a handicap.

But this has not deterred her spirits, and she's recently won the President's award for her achievements. Nafisa, 50, works as a manager with Central Bank of India, Mumbai. Though her life has been full of struggle to get where she is, she says that she has been very lucky with people. Everyone she has met in her life has gone out of their way to help her, and played an important role in her life.

She speaks about what it is like dealing with her blindness, and how she took stock of her life...

The beginning..

She was born with Retinitis Pigmentosa, a degenerative disorder of the retina. It is a progressive disease, which leads to blindness over a period of time. In school she sat on the front bench, close to a bright light but she was not totally blind then. She then went to high school where her teachers were very supportive.

Her handwriting was terrible but they took extra care in correcting her papers. By the time she reached class ten, her teachers advised her to take a writer, but the thought of dictating her thoughts to someone else was something she was not comfortable with. Again, her teachers stepped in and made her write essays with a writer and slowly she got used to the concept.

Tough life..

She slowly got introduced to the blind world. She did not know braille. She went to St Xavier's College, Mumbai, and was keen to do an MBA. For the first time she realized that the world for the blind was not a bed of roses.

The general attitude towards the disabled was conservative and no one was willing to give her a chance. She says that the attitude towards the disabled is slowly changing now, but still has a long way to go. The most difficult part was accepting the white cane.

The first few days were terrible, but she soon realized that it was going to be a part of her life. She learned to use it with the help of some visually disabled friends who would deliberately leave her at the bus stop to find her way back home, she soon become very confident. Then there was no looking back.

The struggle..

Everybody was apprehensive about her ability to succeed, though she knew she was very capable. Since no one was willing to give her a chance, she decided to take up a job as a telephone operator with the Central Bank of India.

But all along, she knew she was underutilized, and after nine years of working as a telephone operator, she convinced the authorities to allow her to appear for the internal exam of the bank. Once again her abilities were questioned - this time from the bank management. But finally she was allowed to take the exam. Out of 6,000 people, only 570 passed it, and she stood at rank 28!

After this, the bank management broke all rules and backed her. She is very happy with her job and as they say, 'once a Forex person, always a Forex person'. It is stressful, especially if one misses out a zero, but that rarely happens. At the end of the day, it is fulfilling when she sits back and thinks about the big money transactions she has done.

People power..

She was the baby of her family, the youngest amongst four sisters and a brother. They have helped her all along. In office, her juniors and seniors have been very supportive. But the biggest wonder of her life has been that she found a life partner last year.

Her husband coincidentally lived in the same housing society as hers, and had noticed her walking with the white cane for years. A common friend introduced them and she says that finding such a wonderful and caring life partner has been the most important moment in her life. His family has accepted her with so much warmth, that she did not have to worry about adjusting into a new home.

Her strength..

She is very good with numbers. Even when she was young, she was often asked to remember a phone number or a bill date. Then, as a telephone operator, even though she did write numbers, she could not see them so she had no choice but to remember them. As a Forex dealer, she is again dealing with numbers. In the beginning, she erred and got confused with numbers, but luckily managed to correct it in the nick of time.

Source: Blind faith. The Times of India, New Delhi, 13th January 2006.

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'When the going gets tough, the tough get going'

It was the millennium eve when her husband, Girish Gogia, met with a severe spinal cord injury while swimming in Goa and was declared paralysed neck downwards. It was even more shocking when she gradually discovered that her husband would never recover as he had spinal cord injury induced paralysis, which has no cure.

She was only 26 and her husband 30. They were staring at a very dark road ahead. Over and above, it was during the same time that she was diagnosed with 'Multiple Sclerosis,' a central nervous system disorder. Thoughts of an empty future made her spend many sleepless nights. She had bouts of anger, frustration and anxiety, but that was a phase, which passed away quickly.

At this stage, she and her husband made a promise to themselves that they would always live happily, no matter what. It was important for them to be together. Six years on, they have fought hard. Through their trials and tribulations they devised what they call a positive, passionate and progressive attitude.

Girish is an interior designer and he did not let his hope die away. They took on the professional challenges with greater zeal, successfully completing six projects both, commercial and residential. She believes that each one has a choice at some point in their lives - either they let the illness get them, or they grow through the illness.

Her husband often tells her that disability is only in the body and not in the mind. It is their sincere desire to spread the message of positive attitude and create awareness among people, requesting them not to underestimate the abilities of the disabled and give them equal opportunities and treat them at par with everyone.

They too deserve the right to work and make a living. The word impossible does not exist in their dictionary. They design all kinds of projects ranging from residence, showrooms, boutiques, offices, restaurants, coffee shops, specialty stores etc. The fire is burning even stronger in them now. They strongly believe, 'When the going gets tough, the tough get going'.

Source: Tough times don't last, tough people do. The Times of India, New Delhi, 13th January 2006.

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Slim Shady 2, new designer on the block has something unique about him apart from his name..

If you get an invitation to a show by Slim Shady 2, don't expect a rap show by Eminem. Slim Shady 2, or SS2 as he is known to friends, is in fact a young fashion designer from Vizag, who like the rap singer he idolizes, has fought tough odds to get were he is today.

SS2, who refuses to go by his given name, quickly sold his entire collection at a solo exhibition organized by the Countries Institute of Fashion Technology (CIFT), a feat that is more remarkable when you consider that he suffers from a serious neurological disorder that has confined him to a wheelchair.

The young man was a healthy and popular student through high school, until he was struck with a disorder that threatened to put an end to his dreams. However, rather than let his condition get the better of him, he renewed his determination to make something out of his life and his natural creative bent drove him towards the fashion world.

He is a self-described "perfectionist" and convinced his parents to admit him at CIFT. He also adopted a new name. Prof. Tathaji, his father who is now vice-chairman of AP State Council for Higher Education said that he likes Eminem very much and Eminem went by the name Slim Shady at one point and his son claims to be Slim Shady 2 and rejected the name that they had given him. He insists that everyone calls him by his new name.

His change of identity also marked his entry into a new world. Fashion gave him a perfect outlet for his artistic talent and within two years, he was given an opportunity to design clothes for fashion shows organized by ST Apparels and Exports Pvt Ltd. A fashion-exporting house is also planning to acquire some of his designs and plans to market them in the US.

Lakshmi Bhakthavalsala, a faculty member at his college said that SS2 knew nothing about fashion when he stepped into the institute. He was worried when he first saw him, thinking it would be a tough task for him to teach him, but he moved up so fast that it was unbelievable.

He has a lot of creative talent and a wild imagination. He is a 'pucca' perfectionist and doesn't compromise on anything. SS2 will definitely reach new heights and stand unique among others in the fashion world. SS2, for his part is brimming with hope and confidence.

He has plans to get some of his friends from the institute together and get down to business. He is confident that they would succeed in achieving something unique in the future. He wants to prove that his team can be the best. He believes in destiny, and wants to see where it takes him.

Source: Disabled fashion designer inspired by Eminem. Deccan Chronicle, Hyderabad, 10th January 2006.

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Dancing against all odds..

Giving new meaning to the term "manochaitanya" (mind-motivation), 22-year-old Durga Prasanna, a mentally challenged student of the Godavarikhani based Manochaitanya vocational training centre and special school, has been excelling in classical dance against the odds.

Durga, who received a National Award for her creative endeavors from President Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam in 2004, was inspired by the President's call to physically and mentally challenged children to strive for success.

Trained by the eminent classical dance instructor Jakka Srikrishnacharya under the supervision of special educators, Durga has been passionately pursuing dance in the hope that it would make others aware of the potential of special children and contribute to their upliftment.

Now Durga is gearing up to perform at the Republic Day celebrations. Durga remarked that she was very fond of Bharatanatyam and her parents took great pains to enable her to pursue her hobby. Her parents are justifiably proud of their daughter's achievements.

Her father, D. Krishna Kumar is the president of the Parents Association for Mentally Handicapped Persons, (PAMENCAP). He says that they are overwhelmed by the fact that despite her disability, she has inspired several other mentally challenged children like herself to pursue creative arts as a mode to attain self reliance.

They consider her a special child and she lived up to their expectations by mastering classical dance through sheer determination. Her remarkable grit and aptitude won her accolades from none other than the President himself. Durga says receiving the award from the President was 'the most memorable moment of her life'.

She says that she is fortunate to have so much support. Now she wants to give something back to the community and wants to help channelise the hidden talent of mentally retarded children towards greater achievements.

Source: Disability couldn't stop this dancer. Deccan Chronicle, Hyderabad, 16th January 2006.

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