I Salute the courge of this girl.
Daleep
Vaishnavi Kasthuri has the 'never say die' attitude. It was this attitude that helped this 21-year-old visually-impaired girl from Bangalore in her fight for transparency in the prestigious Indian Institute of Management-Bangalore.
Vaishnavi, who is currently pursuing a Masters in Business Administration degree from a reputed college in Bangalore, thought she was on course to fulfill her dreams after having scored 89.29 per cent in the CAT examination. It had been her ambition to join the IIMB.
IIMB had a prescribed cut-off of 86.42 per cent for students with disability. Vaishnavi waited for a call to the next round, but it never came. Not losing hope, she decided to approach the management institute to find out why she was not among the list of candidates. From here began the battle royal.
Vaishnavi sought information about the credentials of other candidates with physical disabilities who had made it to the final list. However, her request was denied outright. She was forced to the seek recourse under the Right to Information Act.
R K Kasthuri, Vaishnavi's father, told rediff.com that IIMB had called him for a meeting. However, he did not get any information regarding his daughter. Thereafter, he decided it was time to fight it out. In fact, he was told that the selection process at the IIM was a trade secret.
The Karnataka State Information Commission, headed by K K Mishra, ruled that the matter fell under the purview of the Centre, as the IIMB did not come under the jurisdiction of the state government.
The matter was then heard by the Central Information Commission, which directed that the criteria for selection ought to be made public. Following this, the IIM did convey to Vaishnavi that her candidature had not been considered as she had not have the requisite marks in her Standard 10th and 12th examinations.
Though Vaishnavi did not make it to the top management institute, but she did win her battle. The question that Vaishnavi poses is: "Why do they insist on CAT when they do not attach too much importance to it?"
However, she is glad her case will be a benchmark for all students who apply in IIM in the time to come.
"Even if a student is rejected, he or she has the right to know why the candidature did
not come through," says Vaishnavi.
Her family is beaming with pride. They are proud to have a daughter like Vaishnavi. A visit to the family clearly shows how they stand together in Vaishnavi's fight. Her mother, Sujatha Kasthuri, decided to remain a housewife for her daughter's sake.
A proud mother says that her daughter is disciplined and unlike other mothers, she does not have to worry too much about her since she does not have to be told what to do. My daughter converts all the negative energy into positive energy, she adds.
Vaishnavi considers her brother, Vishwak, as her best friend. He takes her to the gym in the morning and is with her when he gets time of his studies and cricket. Does it bother Vishwak that his sister is walking away with all the adulation? "No, her battle is like my own," says Vishwak, while proudly showing a photograph of his sister, him and ace Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar [Images] together.
This is not the first time that Vaishnavi has hit the headlines. She made her family proud when Karnataka Governor T N Chaurvedi presented her an award for her achievements during the Independence Day celebrations in the state.
At present, she wants to complete her MBA and join some top company. Every day she records her lectures at college and comes back home and listens to it over and over again She has a specially-designed computer for her studies. She says girls in her college are nice and helpful too.
But will she join IIMB, if they were to call her? The answer from Vaishnavi: "NO."
From India, Delhi
Daleep
Vaishnavi Kasthuri has the 'never say die' attitude. It was this attitude that helped this 21-year-old visually-impaired girl from Bangalore in her fight for transparency in the prestigious Indian Institute of Management-Bangalore.
Vaishnavi, who is currently pursuing a Masters in Business Administration degree from a reputed college in Bangalore, thought she was on course to fulfill her dreams after having scored 89.29 per cent in the CAT examination. It had been her ambition to join the IIMB.
IIMB had a prescribed cut-off of 86.42 per cent for students with disability. Vaishnavi waited for a call to the next round, but it never came. Not losing hope, she decided to approach the management institute to find out why she was not among the list of candidates. From here began the battle royal.
Vaishnavi sought information about the credentials of other candidates with physical disabilities who had made it to the final list. However, her request was denied outright. She was forced to the seek recourse under the Right to Information Act.
R K Kasthuri, Vaishnavi's father, told rediff.com that IIMB had called him for a meeting. However, he did not get any information regarding his daughter. Thereafter, he decided it was time to fight it out. In fact, he was told that the selection process at the IIM was a trade secret.
The Karnataka State Information Commission, headed by K K Mishra, ruled that the matter fell under the purview of the Centre, as the IIMB did not come under the jurisdiction of the state government.
The matter was then heard by the Central Information Commission, which directed that the criteria for selection ought to be made public. Following this, the IIM did convey to Vaishnavi that her candidature had not been considered as she had not have the requisite marks in her Standard 10th and 12th examinations.
Though Vaishnavi did not make it to the top management institute, but she did win her battle. The question that Vaishnavi poses is: "Why do they insist on CAT when they do not attach too much importance to it?"
However, she is glad her case will be a benchmark for all students who apply in IIM in the time to come.
"Even if a student is rejected, he or she has the right to know why the candidature did
not come through," says Vaishnavi.
Her family is beaming with pride. They are proud to have a daughter like Vaishnavi. A visit to the family clearly shows how they stand together in Vaishnavi's fight. Her mother, Sujatha Kasthuri, decided to remain a housewife for her daughter's sake.
A proud mother says that her daughter is disciplined and unlike other mothers, she does not have to worry too much about her since she does not have to be told what to do. My daughter converts all the negative energy into positive energy, she adds.
Vaishnavi considers her brother, Vishwak, as her best friend. He takes her to the gym in the morning and is with her when he gets time of his studies and cricket. Does it bother Vishwak that his sister is walking away with all the adulation? "No, her battle is like my own," says Vishwak, while proudly showing a photograph of his sister, him and ace Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar [Images] together.
This is not the first time that Vaishnavi has hit the headlines. She made her family proud when Karnataka Governor T N Chaurvedi presented her an award for her achievements during the Independence Day celebrations in the state.
At present, she wants to complete her MBA and join some top company. Every day she records her lectures at college and comes back home and listens to it over and over again She has a specially-designed computer for her studies. She says girls in her college are nice and helpful too.
But will she join IIMB, if they were to call her? The answer from Vaishnavi: "NO."
From India, Delhi
Hii all, after reading the real one.. i would like to add a email i got from one of my friend.. hope u all like this too...
A touching e-mail, which makes even the hardest man
humble….
Two Choices:
My question is: Would you have made the same choices?
At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves children with learning disabilities, the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he offered a question:
'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does, is done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the natural order of things in my son?'
The audience was stilled by the query.
The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, who was mentally and physically disabled comes into the world, an opportunity to realize true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people treat that child.'
Then he told the following story:
Shay and I had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew
were playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' I knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their team, but as a father I also understood that if my son were allowed to play, it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
I approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth inning.'
Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a team shirt. I watched with a small tear in my eye and warmth in my heart. The boys saw my joy at my son being accepted.
In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still behind by three.
In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from ear to ear as I waved to him from the stands.
In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay's team scored again..
Now, with two outs and the bases loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be next at bat.
At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the game?
Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew that a hit was all but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly, much less connect with the ball.
However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make contact.
The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed.
The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball
softly towards Shay.
As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow
ground ball right back to the pitcher.
The game would now be over.
The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman.
Shay would have been out and that would have been the end of the game.
Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out of reach of all team mates.
Everyone from the stands and both teams started yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!'
Never in his life had Shay ever run that far, but he made it to first base.
He scampered down the baseline, wide-eyed and startled. Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!'
Catching his breath, Shay awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the base.
By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had the ball . the smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to be the hero for his team.
He could have thrown the ball to the second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intentions so he, too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's head.
Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him circled the bases toward home.
All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third! Shay, run to third!'
As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!'
Shay ran to home, stepped on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the game for his team
'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face, 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity into this world'.
Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never forgotten being the hero and making me so happy, andcoming home and seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
A wise man once said that every society is judged by how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
"Society does not go down because of the activities of criminals, But because of the inactivities of the good people."
Swami Vivekananda
From India, Visakhapatnam
A touching e-mail, which makes even the hardest man
humble….
Two Choices:
My question is: Would you have made the same choices?
At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves children with learning disabilities, the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he offered a question:
'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does, is done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the natural order of things in my son?'
The audience was stilled by the query.
The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, who was mentally and physically disabled comes into the world, an opportunity to realize true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people treat that child.'
Then he told the following story:
Shay and I had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew
were playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' I knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their team, but as a father I also understood that if my son were allowed to play, it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
I approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth inning.'
Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a team shirt. I watched with a small tear in my eye and warmth in my heart. The boys saw my joy at my son being accepted.
In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still behind by three.
In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from ear to ear as I waved to him from the stands.
In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay's team scored again..
Now, with two outs and the bases loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be next at bat.
At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the game?
Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew that a hit was all but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly, much less connect with the ball.
However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make contact.
The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed.
The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball
softly towards Shay.
As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow
ground ball right back to the pitcher.
The game would now be over.
The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman.
Shay would have been out and that would have been the end of the game.
Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out of reach of all team mates.
Everyone from the stands and both teams started yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!'
Never in his life had Shay ever run that far, but he made it to first base.
He scampered down the baseline, wide-eyed and startled. Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!'
Catching his breath, Shay awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the base.
By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had the ball . the smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to be the hero for his team.
He could have thrown the ball to the second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intentions so he, too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's head.
Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him circled the bases toward home.
All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third! Shay, run to third!'
As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!'
Shay ran to home, stepped on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the game for his team
'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face, 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity into this world'.
Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never forgotten being the hero and making me so happy, andcoming home and seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
A wise man once said that every society is judged by how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
"Society does not go down because of the activities of criminals, But because of the inactivities of the good people."
Swami Vivekananda
From India, Visakhapatnam
First of all, i would like to say thanks to Vaishnavi family members for giving good support always. However, we should learn from our mistakes and other's achievements.
My sincere and heartful wishes to Vaishnavi for giving a very good inspiration to all of us.
All the best to Vaishnavi and to all.
From India, Hyderabad
My sincere and heartful wishes to Vaishnavi for giving a very good inspiration to all of us.
All the best to Vaishnavi and to all.
From India, Hyderabad
Hi,
i would like to say u that if u got approval letter by IIMB please don't loose it grab it bcz is ur high desire to take admission in this college but one more thing which u have to face while doing ur course i.e bias, partiality and unmerciful obserbation by others.but it makes u so solid to go for ur bright future.
Thanks for sharing this.
Purushottam Kumar.
From India, Pune
i would like to say u that if u got approval letter by IIMB please don't loose it grab it bcz is ur high desire to take admission in this college but one more thing which u have to face while doing ur course i.e bias, partiality and unmerciful obserbation by others.but it makes u so solid to go for ur bright future.
Thanks for sharing this.
Purushottam Kumar.
From India, Pune
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