Written By Kalpitaa Rajesh (Grade 12)
I would like to quote Johann Wolfgang von Goethe “As soon as you trust yourself, you will know how to live.” Srikanth was born to a family of dedicated farmers in July 1991 at their home in Seetharamapuram village in Andhra Pradesh. His parents were distraught when they realised that his eyes couldn’t open.
Even though the world looked blind to him he refused to let his occurrences delineate him. He applauds his parents for never putting him down despite all his troubles. He is grateful to his grandmother for treating him like any other child and never speaking about his disability. He states in an interview that he never felt he was blind or disabled in any way. He led a very contented life at home. However, he had to conquer several sociological barriers that came his way.
Commuting to school became a major obstacle due to muddy roads and potholes. At school, he was debarred from all physical activities and often felt very isolated and missed the delight of enjoying with peers. Later on, his uncle who resided in Hyderabad propounded him to join a school which was only for the blind. He mastered the game of chess, participated in inter-school competitions and emerged as the fastest Braille reader and writer. He saw himself transform into a new person full of faith and determination. Initially, his school life in the hostel was a bitter experience and even attempted to run away after being slapped by the warden. Ever since then until now he has never rested. It was his ambition to pursue a degree in the science stream. Unfortunately, he was not granted permission for the same due to his disability. He proved everybody wrong and scored 98 per cent in the first year of his intermediate and a bit less in the second year.
He moved on to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) for an undergraduate course in business administration, becoming its first overseas blind student. He found the environment there competitive and healthy enough which drove him to fulfil his dream. While he was in the US, he set up Bollant Industries in Hyderabad which employs people with disabilities. From then he always kept climbing higher on the ladder of life and has several accolades which include becoming a Youth Leader in the Lead India Program and being named in the Forbes Asia 30 under 30 in 2017.
Through his remarkable journey in life, we learn that it is crucial to work hard to push through the hindrances to achieve all that we yearn for.
He has made the entire globe stand up and has made all Indians feel proud. He is one of the invaluable gems that the nation has gifted us with. We take honour in celebrating you. We Salute you, sir!
Featured Image Courtesy – GQ India
