Stories of young people defying all odds to achieve what they want to give me a big dose of inspiration whenever I’m feeling down. For instance, this 21-year-old IIM girl with visual imparity defeating all odds to land an exceptional job, or how a 14-year old boy with cerebral palsy won a wrestling match. Another inspiring story has surfaced which would definitely give you the daily motivation you need today.
As per a report in India Today, a 21-year old Mumbaikar named Yash Avadesh Gandhi battled palsy, dyslexia, and dysarthria to make it into IIM Lucknow as a student for the academic session 2020-22 under the persons with disabilities quota. He had cleared CAT 2019 with 92.5%, availing the help of a writer for the written exams.
Kudos to Yash for showing us nothing is impossible!#REhttps://t.co/1DVqco3GRR
— IndiaToday (@IndiaToday) September 9, 2020
Beating out lakhs of candidates in the all-India management entrance examinations was no easy feat as he had to deal with difficulty in walking, speaking, writing, and numbers, The Statesman reports. “I face problems with numbers. So, I had to put in extra effort, particularly in the quantitative ability section. It was tough, but not impossible,” Yash said.
Since he also has dysarthria, which is a condition that weakens the muscles for speech, he speaks with a slur. But he clearly conveys all his emotions and thoughts to others. And even though walking posed problems for him, he didn’t shy away from traveling through Mumbai local trains.
He had previously graduated in accounting and finance from Mithibai College, Mumbai, and had ranked among the top 5 students. By that time, he had already started preparing for CAT since his second year in July 2018. His parents have been his biggest support system and source of motivation.
Yash’s father, who works in a private firm recalled, “When he joined the school, he faced difficulty in learning and was not able to compete with his peers. But he picked up gradually. He has always had to work harder than normal children.”
Reportedly, there was a time when Yash became depressed while preparing for CAT. Yash’s mother Jignasha, who works as a supervisor a midday meal kitchen continues, “I told him that he has the capability to do anything and should not stop making an effort. After this, Yash started all over again.”
Yash also has a mentor and “spiritual brother” named Harshit Hindocha, who is very special to him. He said, “Yash’s success is a perfect story of grit and commitment. He remains calm and composed even in the most trying circumstances, he never gives up. Even when I exempted him from taking notes due to his writing issues, he would always jot down points.”
Yash is currently attending online classes at IIM Lucknow since the past month from his Mumbai home. He even got calls from other IIMs as well including Kozhikode and Indore but chose Lucknow for its ranking.
What do you think of his amazing journey? Tell us!