Visually impaired’s vision for youth: Beat odds, be a winner

Nagpur: Harish Prajapati, 22, is a special youngster. Special, not just because of 90% loss of vision, but due to his vision for today’s stressed, confused, depressed youth, especially those with disabilities. He wants them to overcome struggles and become a winner in life.
And in his own words, he wants the youngsters “to turn adversities into opportunities to grow and become self-reliant”.
This is what is the gist of a book “Hum To Jeetenge” he has authored. Released a couple of weeks back, the book encourages youngsters to get rid of apprehensions in life, develop communication skills, overcome fear of English language and take risks.
Son of an e-rickshaw puller, Harish, who is currently pursuing MA, lives with his parents, a brother and sister in Lalganj area in Itwari.
His formative years, he says, had been a huge struggle – family’s weak financial background and then the near-total loss of vision at the age of three. He studied through Braille till Std VII and then took help of a writer during high school and Nagpur University examinations. After finishing schooling from Jnanjyoti Andh Vidyalaya, he joined Morris College in Std XI and since then started exploring new things.
Harish doesn’t want to depend on government help but wants to become a motivational speaker and a soft-skills trainer. He hopes to impart free teaching to the students from the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) schools.
He has many feathers to his cap: a prolific debater, a national-level chess player, a poet, a comedian, and a mimicry artist, He has won over 100 awards in various competitions so far. He was also crowned as ‘Mr Institute’ in his Vasantrao Naik Government Institute of Arts and Social Sciences (formerly Morris College).
About the book, Harish says it aims to motivate the youth to accept failures, overcome adversities and emerge a winner. “It’s based on my personal experiences and my struggle to learn new things. Many people advised me to look for a government job from the quota for disabled where my life would be secure, and I would also be entitled for a pension. But I have full confidence that one day my efforts will pay off,” he says.
He earned some money by conducting motivational and personality development classes in his college and helped his parents financially. “Among the visually disabled, those pursuing geography and psychology are rare in BA, but I took up these for my graduation. Similarly, I used to fare poorly in economics, so I decided to take it as a specialization in post-graduation. Last week my MA final year got over,” he says.
His sister Swati, completing her master’s degrees, helped him in penning the book, as she used to write the notes narrated by him. Even his family members, including mother Anita, encouraged him to go ahead with his plans.
Harish says no one was ready to publish the book. “My mother had to keep her jewellery with a moneylender to raise the funds,” he says and adds, “I believe perseverance, commitment and hard work are the only way to achieve any goal.”