Currently, I am the first and the only visually impaired Assistant General Manager(AGM), to be ever posted in Regional Office of RBI Ahmedabad.
I am a cancer winner, paralytic fighter, late blind, National Awardee, TEDx Speaker, Life Coach, Influencer, Motivational Speaker, YouTuber and adventure traveler. I am the 1st blind person to complete Eagle’s Peak trekking in the Aravalli Range. In 1998, I achieved the distinction of being XII/Science CBSE Gujarat topper. Continuing my success story, I got merit positions in all the semesters during Bachelors of Engineering in Information technology from Nirma University(1998-2002). I was conferred with prestigious Dhirubhai Ambani Merit-based Undergraduate
Scholarship in all 4 years of BE !
I was picked up by TCS during campus placements and soon got the award for being the Trainee with Outstanding Overall Performance! Further, I was recognised and appreciated many times by TCS including “Best Technical Faculty Award”, “TCS Top10 Coding Contest Finalist”, “TCS Applause Award for Going Beyond the Call of Duty” etc.
Eventually, I got a Finland visa stamped. I was about to undertake journey for an overseas assignment as Project Manager. However, destiny had an entirely different plan.
In 2012, on one fateful night, I suddenly collapsed while coming out of washroom. Next morning also, I still felt that there was no power in legs. MRI scans indicated multiple tumors in my spine. It was a severe paralytic attack. Later, biopsy confirmed an even worse situation. it was terminal stage cancer. Doctors gave me just 6 weeks of survival with no treatment possible.
It was an agni praiksha of my will power. I mustered all my inner strength and chose to fight back with a smile till last breath.
In 2013, after undergoing several ups and downs during my cancer treatment, I finally got the much-awaited reports. I was confirmed to be totally cancer free!
Dismayingly, our joy did not last long. During cancer treatment, I used to observe progressively blurred vision. Soon I was horrified to realize that my optic nerves were irreversibly damaged. Gradually, I was going to loose complete eye-sight. This was the tipping point. A moment of rude shock that smashed me. I was soon going to be a Divyang.
The transition period between dimming vision into loss of complete eye-sight was extremely agonising. I became anxious due to future uncertainty.
But the continuously pervading pitch darkness around me could not penetrate my mind. I decided to bounce back ! I learnt reading/writing alphabets all over again using the difficult Braille Lipi within an astonishingly short duration of 1.5 months. Further, I finished learning 3 years syllabus of Hindustani Classical music within 6 months.
I felt I had no time for grumbling. Afterall , I had to rebuild my entire life again from scratch.
Moving on, I learnt specialised screen-reader software which enabled me to independently operate Laptop/ smartphone to a great extent. Not looking back anymore, in 2014, I relentlessly plunged into preparations for competitive exams. Internet content and volunteering readers were the tools rather than any formal coaching
class. Yet I shined in 8 exams/interviews in the 1st attempt including SBI Clerk, Bank of Baroda PO, RBI Assistant Grade, UPSC Prelims etc.
After joining RBI, I was conferred with Manager Trainee with Outstanding Overall Performance Award in 2016. Moving on, I earned a global achievement of being the first blind individual in the entire world, to pass certification course on “macroeconomic Accounting” conducted by IMF Institute of Capacity Building, Washington DC, USA, that too with an aggregate score of 93%. In addition, I was bestowed with the prestigious National Award for the Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, in the category of Best Visually Impaired Employee, by the Government of India. For my contributions towards Nation Building, I was conferred with Yugantar Unsung Hero Award by the Institute of Leadership and Governance. I am also fortunate to be conferred with Best Alumni award by Nirma University.
I have not only shown the patience and courage to win over multiple setbacks lashing my life but also have set himself as a role model for everyone by proving that a brighter tomorrow is always possible with fighting spirit and enthusiasm.