Naga Naresh Karutura : A fighter( He has no legs) from the banks of Godavari to Google

Naga Naresh Karutura has just passed out of IIT Madras in Computer Science and has joined Google in Bangalore. You may ask, what's so special about this 21-year-old when there are hundreds of students passing out from various IITs and joining big companies like Google?

Read why Naresh is special and what makes him feel that he is lucky.

Ever smiling, optimistic and full of spirit; that is Naresh. He says, "God has always been planning things for me. That is why I feel I am lucky."

Childhood in a village
I spent the first seven years of my life in Teeparru, a small village in Andhra Pradesh, on the banks of the river Godavari. My father Prasad was a lorry driver and my mother Kumari, a house wife. Though they were illiterate, my parents instilled in me and my elder sister (Sirisha) the importance of studying.

Looking back, one thing that surprises me now is the way my father taught me when I was in the 1st and 2nd standards. My father would ask me questions from the text book, and I would answer them. At that time, I didn't know he could not read or write but to make me happy, he helped me in my studies! Another memory that doesn't go away is the floods in the village and how I was carried on top of a buffalo by my uncle. I also remember plucking fruits from a tree that was full of thorns.

I used to be very naughty, running around and playing all the time with my friends. I used to get a lot of scolding for disturbing the elders who slept in the afternoon. The moment they started scolding, I would run away to the fields! I also remember finishing my school work fast in class and sleeping on the teacher's lap!

January 11, 1993, the fateful day
On the January 11, 1993 when we had the sankranti holidays, my mother took my sister and me to a nearby village for a family function. From there we were to go with our grandmother to our native place. But my grandmother did not come there. As there were no buses that day, my mother took a lift in my father's friend's lorry. As there were many people in the lorry, he made me sit next to him, close to the door.

It was my fault; I fiddled with the door latch and it opened wide throwing me out. As I fell, my legs got cut by the iron rods protruding from the lorry. Nothing happened to me except scratches on my legs. The accident had happened just in front of a big private hospital but they refused to treat me saying it was an accident case. Then a police constable who was passing by took us to a government hospital.

First I underwent an operation as my small intestine got twisted. The doctors also bandaged my legs. I was there for a week. When the doctors found that gangrene had developed and it had reached up to my knees, they asked my father to take me to a district hospital. There, the doctors scolded my parents a lot for neglecting the wounds and allowing the gangrene to develop. But what could my ignorant parents do? 

In no time, both my legs were amputated up to the hips. I remember waking up and asking my mother, where are my legs? I also remember that my mother cried when I asked the question. I was in the hospital for three months. 

Life without legs
I don't think my life changed dramatically after I lost both my legs. Because all at home were doting on me, I was enjoying all the attention rather than pitying myself. I was happy that I got a lot of fruits and biscuits.

The day I reached my village, my house was flooded with curious people; all of them wanted to know how a boy without legs looked. But I was not bothered; I was happy to see so many of them coming to see me, especially my friends! All my friends saw to it that I was part of all the games they played; they carried me everywhere. 

God's hand
I believe in God. I believe in destiny. I feel he plans everything for you. If not for the accident, we would not have moved from the village to Tanuku, a town. There I joined a missionary school, and my father built a house next to the school. Till the tenth standard, I studied in that school.

If I had continued in Teeparu, I may not have studied after the 10th. I may have started working as a farmer or someone like that after my studies. I am sure God had other plans for me.

My sister, my friend
When the school was about to reopen, my parents moved from Teeparu to Tanuku, a town, and admitted both of us in a Missionary school. They decided to put my sister also in the same class though she is two years older. They thought she could take care of me if both of us were in the same class. My sister never complained.

She would be there for everything. Many of my friends used to tell me, you are so lucky to have such a loving sister. There are many who do not care for their siblings. She carried me in the school for a few years and after a while, my friends took over the task. When I got the tricycle, my sister used to push me around in the school.

My life, I would say, was normal, as everyone treated me like a normal kid. I never wallowed in self-pity. I was a happy boy and competed with others to be on top and the others also looked at me as a competitor.

Inspiration
I was inspired by two people when in school; my Maths teacher Pramod Lal who encouraged me to participate in various local talent tests, and a brilliant boy called Chowdhary, who was my senior.

When I came to know that he had joined Gowtham Junior College to prepare for IIT-JEE, it became my dream too. I was school first in 10th scoring 542/600. Because I topped in the state exams, Gowtham Junior College waived the fee for me. Pramod Sir's recommendation also helped. The fee was around Rs 50,000 per year, which my parents could never afford. 


Moving to a residential school
Living in a residential school was a big change for me because till then my life centred around home and school and I had my parents and sister to take care of all my needs. It was the first time that I was interacting with society. It took one year for me to adjust to the new life.

There, my inspiration was a boy called K K S Bhaskar who was in the top 10 in IIT-JEE exams. He used to come to our school to encourage us. Though my parents didn't know anything about Gowtham Junior School or IIT, they always saw to it that I was encouraged in whatever I wanted to do. If the results were good, they would praise me to the skies and if bad, they would try to see something good in that. They did not want me to feel bad.

They are such wonderful supportive parents.

Life at IIT- Madras
Though my overall rank in the IIT-JEE was not that great (992), I was 4th in the physically handicapped category. So, I joined IIT, Madras to study Computer Science.

Here, my role model was Karthik who was also my senior in school. I looked up to him during my years at IIT- Madras. He had asked for attached bathrooms for those with special needs before I came here itself. So, when I came here, the room had attached bath. He used to help me and guide me a lot when I was here.

I evolved as a person in these four years, both academically and personally. It has been a great experience studying here. The people I was interacting with were so brilliant that I felt privileged to sit along with them in the class. Just by speaking to my lab mates, I gained a lot.

Words are inadequate to express my gratitude to Prof Pandurangan and all my lab mates; all were simply great. I was sent to Boston along with four others for our internship by Prof Pandurangan. It was a great experience.

Joining Google R&D
I did not want to pursue PhD as I wanted my parents to take rest now. 
Morgan Stanley selected me first but I preferred Google because I wanted to work in pure computer science, algorithms and game theory. 

I am lucky
Do you know why I say I am lucky?

I get help from total strangers without me asking for it. Once after my second year at IIT, I with some of my friends was travelling in a train for a conference. We met a kind gentleman called Sundar in the train, and he has been taking care of my hostel fees from then on.

I have to mention about Jaipur foot. I had Jaipur foot when I was in 3rd standard. After two years, I stopped using them. As I had almost no stems on my legs, it was very tough to tie them to the body. I found walking with Jaipur foot very, very slow. Sitting also was a problem. I found my tricycle faster because I am one guy who wants to do things faster.

One great thing about the hospital is, they don't think their role ends by just fixing the Jaipur foot; they arrange for livelihood for all. They asked me what help I needed from them. I told them at that time, if I got into an IIT, I needed financial help from them. So, from the day I joined IIT, Madras, my fees were taken care of by them. So, my education at the IIT was never a burden on my parents and they could take care of my sister's Nursing studies. 

Surprise awaited me at IIT
After my first year, when I went home, two things happened here at the Institute without my knowledge. 

I got a letter from my department that they had arranged a lift and ramps at the department for me. It also said that if I came a bit early and checked whether it met with my requirements, it would be good.

Second surprise was, the Dean, Prof Idichandy and the Students General Secretary, Prasad had located a place that sold powered wheel chairs. The cost was Rs 55,000. What they did was, they did not buy the wheel chair; they gave me the money so that the wheel chair belonged to me and not the institute.

My life changed after that. I felt free and independent. That's why I say I am lucky. God has planned things for me and takes care of me at every step.

The world is full of good people
I also feel if you are motivated and show some initiative, people around you will always help you. I also feel there are more good people in society than bad ones. I want all those who read this to feel that if Naresh can achieve something in life, you can too.

 

Deleted text from the introduction part : 

Naresh is special. His parents are illiterate. He has no legs and moves around in his powered wheel chair. (In fact, when I could not locate his lab, he told me over the mobile phone, 'I will come and pick you up'. And in no time, he was there to guide me)

Source : rediff.com

Sudha Chandran - An orthopaedically handicapped dancer and actress

" Sudha Chandran was born to family in Chennai, South India. She completed her Masters in Economics from Mumbai. On one of her return trips from Mumbai to Chennai she met with an accident resulting in the amputation of her right leg. She was given an artificial leg and despite this terrible disability, she became one of the most accomplished and acclaimed dancers of the Indian Subcontinent. She has received and still receives invitations to perform all over the world. She has been honored with numerous awards and has performed all over the world. She appears often on Hindi television and in films."

Sudha Chandran 

Disability: Amputee

Despite amputation of one leg, Sudha Chandran has established herself in the film line and got a reputation as an ace dancer and actor. She was born into a Tamil family in 1964. Her father K.D. Chandran was an employee of the American Centre in Mumbai. Mrs. Thangam and Sudha's father were lovers of art hence since childhood; Sudha was exposed to a rich cultural heritage. At the age of three, she started dancing on her own and it was then that her family decided to provide her formal education in dance.

Seeing the dedication of the child, Sudha's father took her to a famous dance school in Mumbai ‘ Kala Sadan ' at the age of five. The teachers of ‘ Kala Sadan' refused to admit such a young girl but Chandran kept on persuading. He discussed the matter with the principal of that school, K.S. Ramaswamy Bhagavatar. He requested him to at least see the child dance once. The principal was surprised to see Sudha's perform so beautifully and finally admitted her in the prestigious institution.

Sudha practiced with much zeal and dedication. The dance classes started delivering the results and she gave her first dance performance on stage at the age of eight. She continued her general education along with dance. She used to go St. Josephs Convent School where she was awarded the first prize for her first dance appearance. Her enthusiasm was increasing continuously. By the age of 17 she had presented 75 stage programmes which had all been widely appreciated.

On May 2, 1981 , Sudha was traveling in a bus to Tiruchi temple along with her parents. Suddenly at midnight a serious accident took place. Her bus collided with a truck killing the driver on the spot. Sudha was sitting two seats behind the driver. When the accident occurred, she had stretched her legs out straight. The collision was such that Sudha's legs were stuck. Almost all the passengers were injured. Some college students who were less injured saw the noted dancer and tried to help her out. After a long struggle, they were able to pull her out but her right leg had been injured critically.

She was immediately taken to the nearest hospital. Here the doctor made a mistake. He plastered the leg. If it had been left open, the gangrene could have been prevented. After few days, Sudha noticed that the color of her skin on the leg was changing. After examination doctors concluded that, her leg had developed gangrene. In order to save her life the leg had to be amputated.

Sudha's position was at that point in her life was like that of Eklavya, the famous archer who was asked by his guru, Dronacharya to cut his right thumb to him. It was as if destiny had confronted Sudha in the form of Dronacharya as her right leg was amputated 7 ½ inches below the knee. Sudha remained in a state of shock and for some time.

However, gradually her confidence started returning. She began walking with the help of a wooden leg and crutches. In the meanwhile, she continued her studies in Mumbai. Her father at that point of her life was a major source of motivation for her.

The circumstances that she was then placed in affected Sudha's lifestyle for some time. She was unable to sleep for several nights. Nevertheless, she drew strength from the pain and pledged that she would become even stronger. On the advice of people, her father bought her a wheelchair but she did nor use it. Despite facing severe pain, she continuously practiced walking and one day she even went out for a movie with her friends. Now everybody was convinced that this girl would regain normalcy very shortly.

After six months since the amputation, Sudha read in a magazine that Dr. Sethi of Jaipur has started manufacturing artificial legs. The qualities of these legs were such that a man wearing the leg can work on an agricultural farm and even climb a tree. Sudha wrote to him. Meanwhile her family visited a company in the Opera House in Mumbai where they saw this artificial leg (Jaipur foot) in a showcase. Her confidence and desire for dance was again revived.

Her father took her to Jaipur where they met Dr. Sethi a specialist in artificial limbs and recipient of the Raman Magasassay Award. Dr. Sethi examined Sudha's amputated leg and assured her that she could walk again normally. Sudha's face brightened on hearing this. Her father informed the doctor that Sudha was a good dancer before the accident, sending him in deep thought. When Sudha inquired whether she would be able to dance with the Jaipur foot, the doctor promptly replied, “Yes, why not? When using this, a farmer can work in wet soil and climb a tree, then why can't you dance?”

Dr. Sethi took this job as a challenge. He got a foot manufactured which was of aluminum and was very light. An arrangement was made so that the leg could rotate easily. Sudha thus returned to Mumbai with renewed vigor.

With this a new round of struggle began. First, she began to practice walking with her artificial leg. On meeting with success at this first stage, she tried to dance as well. This was however not easy. Although Dr. Sethi deputed an assistant to study Sudha's dance and make the changes as per the requirements of dance, the changes made by the assistant could not reduce the problems. Her leg would often bleed and as the movements of the leg become faster, the pain became more severe. At the end of every dance session, when she used to see the blood, she would start losing hope. If there had been a used to see her blood and start losing hope. However, her determination did not falter and she was able to control her disappointment. She again went to meet Dr. Sethi along with her dance teacher.

By this time Dr. Sethi was highly impressed with Sudha's will power. He seriously observed and assessed the various steps of her legs during the dance. Keeping in view the requirement of the dance, he arranged for a new leg. After fitting the leg, he declared that he had done his best and now it was Sudha's turn.

Sudha restarted the dance practice. The problems were not yet fully over. The bleeding started again. There used to be severe pain due to friction of the skin of the amputated leg and the artificial leg. She used to bear the pain and did not allow her face to reflect her agony. Once she had mastered all the dance positions, she started to wait for an opportunity to perform on stage once again.

Finally she got the opportunity. On January 28, 1984 , she was supposed to present a dance programme along with another dancer Preeti in a hall of the “South India Welfare Society” of Mumbai. This period was quite challenging for her. This was also important because she had already been acknowledged as a proficient dancer before the accident. In addition, she had received two important awards- Nritya Mayuri from the Dance Academy and Bharatnatyam andNav Jyoti from the Telugu Academy . Both these awards were considered outstanding in the field of dance. Now she had to maintain her reputation. She had come to the stage for the first time after the accident and the painful practice. She had self-confidence was accompanied by some apprehensions.

However, when Sudha reached the stage, she just forgot that her leg was artificial and stared dancing swiftly. People kept on staring at her without a blink. At the end of the show, the hall echoed with the sound of claps.

The programme was considered very successful. Dance reviewers appreciated the performance. Newspapers and magazine were full of descriptions, appreciation and pictures. Sudha had become a star over night. The famous Telugu film producer and publisher of ‘Newstime ' and ‘ Eanader ', Ramoji Rao, not only praised her but also decided to produce a film based on her life story. The film was titled Mayuri and was directed by A Srinivasan. The director and producer both decided to cast Sudha, herself as the protagonist.

When Sudha was offered the role, she hesitated initially and said that she was fully devoted to her dance only and that she did not have sufficient knowledge of acting, and hence she would not be able to play her role. However, they persuaded and finally Sudha began shooting for the film with much dedication. Since the story of the film was based on her life story, she did not face much difficulty in performing.

The film was a hit. Sudha's acting won as much appreciation as her dance. Whatever people had read in the newspaper about her talent, they now saw on the silver screen. They saw her dance then the serious accident, the struggle and finally her victory. The entire film was heart rending and people were so moved that they could hardly stop their tears. The film also conveyed a message that even a disaster and can be fought and overcome.

Sudha won a special award-Silver Lotus and Rs.5,000 for her acting in this film. This award was presented by the then President of India , Gyani Zail Singh at the 33 rd National Film Festival on the recommendation of members of the jury.

On seeing the outstanding success of the film, its producer made the film in Hindi as well. This Hindi film was titled Nache Mayuri and it spread the news of her talent in the entire nation. This film easily crossed the borders of India and was watched in several countries including America and was also appreciated. With this Sudha was established as a pro actor.

At the same time, Sudha also continued her studies and got a post-graduation degree. Meanwhile her case for compensation for the accident was also going on in Madras High Court. The judgment came after 15 years and she was granted Rs. 5 lakhs as compensation in 1996. By that time, the value of the amount claimed as compensation had depreciated considerably. Nonetheless, Sudha was content that though justice had been delayed it had at least not been denied.

Sudha married the man of her dreams in 1995. Her husband, Ravi , is in the film line.

With time her contribution to dance declined but her acting performance rose. She got more work than she could handle. After acting in the films, she found that working in TV Soap Operas was more attractive and she could reach common people more quickly and frequently through this. She started accepting more TV serials and less number of films. Her performances in Kabhi Idhar Kabhi Udhar, Chashme Badhur, Aparajita, and Young were widely appreciated.

Sudha worked in all kinds of serials: detective serials such as Commander, Marshal , etc and in children programmes like Shaktiman . Language could not become a bar for her. Her journey of acting started with Talugu films but she worked in Hindi and Tamil film as well.

With time Sudha diversified her roles, she appeared in popular count down film songs such asAvval Number , etc. She also acted in a programme called Nagme from Patna Doordarshan. Despite being Tamilian, she is able to speak Hindi clearly and fluently. Despite spending a long time in Mumbai, the local language of Mumbai could not affect her accent. She has a deep interest in Sher-O-Shayari and uses it in her TV programmes.

Sudha is progressing well and her disability has now been left far behind. She has proved to the world that despite a disability one can touch the peak of success.