~ CollectioN of ReaL StorieS ~

[MysteRy]

Sudha Chandran An Orthopaedically Handicapped Dancer & Actress!



Despite amputation of one leg, Sudha Chandran has established herself in the film line and got a reputation as an ace dancer and actress. 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 and Nav 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 as Avval 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.

Sudha Chandran inspires Polio victim to dance!

He dances on swords, nails and broken pieces of glass – he has mastered traditional Rajasthani dance forms and recently performed on television. But fame came the hard way to polio-stricken Sunil Parihar whose source of inspiration was Sudha Chandran and her movie ‘NaacheMayuri’.

‘My parents told me that I got afflicted with polio when I was nine months old. Both my feet were affected with polio till I was 12-13 years old. Then my right foot got cured but my left foot is still not absolutely fine. But I continue to dance because I am very passionate about it,’ Parihar told IANS over phone from Mumbai.

The 34-year-old, who performed on Wednesday’s episode of Sony TV’s new multi-talent reality show ‘Entertainment Ke Liye Kuch Bhi Karega’, says he couldn’t even walk properly until he was nine years old. But gradually he not only started walking but also prepared himself for a performance at an annual school function. Since then there has been no looking back.

‘When I reached class eight, I performed at my school’s annual function. I danced to Ila Arun’s ‘Resham Ka Roomal’ song which used to be very popular in schools back then. My photograph even came in the local newspaper and I was motivated to dance better,’ narrated Parihar, who is originally from Pali, Rajasthan.

He says danseuse-actress Sudha Chandran’s biopic ‘Naache Mayuri’, which he saw nearly two decades back, inspired him the most. Sudha lost one leg in an accident but she continued dancing with an artificial leg.

‘My inspiration primarily came from ‘Naache Mayuri’ which I saw 15-20 years back thanks to my school. They wanted to show handicapped children how a woman who has no leg went on to become a dancer. That struck the chord within me. I thought that if a person with no leg can dance, I can do it as well,’ he said.

Until 2004, Parihar used to only perform traditional Rajasthani folk forms such as ‘ghoomar’ and ‘bhawai’. He learnt Kathak for six months but what interested him more were people dancing on broken pieces of glass or nails while balancing several pots on their heads.

‘In 2004, I went to perform in a Rajasthan government function where I saw a man doing ‘bhawai’ on broken pieces of glass and on sharp nails. That’s when I thought of including it in my performance as well. Since then, I started performing on swords, nails, glass etc with pots on my head,’ he said.
Parihar’s performance on the TV show comprised balancing seven earthen pots on fire on his head as well as dancing on two swords. He not only impressed the judges – Annu Malek and Farah Khan – but also won Rs.10,000 and a chance to feature on the week’s grand finale Friday. He would be battling with other contestants for a Rs.500,000 prize.

If he wins, it would be a major relief for Parihar and his wife, who have been staying in Mumbai for the past five years and trying to survive. He is also hoping that Farah Khan, an acclaimed choreographer-director, would use his talent in her films.

[MysteRy]

Imagine being born without arms. No arms to wrap around someone, no hands to experience touch, or to hold another hand with. Or what about being born without legs? Having no ability to dance, walk, run, or even stand on two feet. Now put both of those scenarios together: no arms and no legs. What would you do? How would that effect your everyday life?

Meet Nick Vujicic... Born in 1982 in Melbourne, Australia, without any medical explanation or warning, Nicholas Vujicic (pronounced Voy-a-chich) came into the world with neither arms nor legs. Having had an uneventful pregnancy and no family history to expect this condition, imagine the shock his parents felt when they saw their first born, brand new baby boy, only to find he was what the world would consider imperfect and abnormal. A limbless son was not what nurse Dushka Vujicic, and her husband Pastor Borris Vujicic had been expecting. How would their son live a normal happy life? What could he ever do or become when living with what the world would see as such a massive disability? Little did they know that this beautiful limbless baby would one day be someone who would inspire and motivate people from all walks of life, touching lives all over the world.

Throughout his childhood Nick dealt not only with the typical challenges of school and adolescence such as bullying and self-esteem issues; he also struggled with depression and loneliness as he questioned why he was different to all the other kids surrounding him; why he was the one born without arms and legs. He wondered what was the purpose behind his life, or if he even had a purpose. After a lot of frustration and feeling like the odd one out in school, at seven years of age Nick tried out some specially designed electronic arms and hands, in hopes that he would be more like the other kids. During the short trial period of the electronic arms, Nick realized that even with them, he was still unlike his peers at school, and they turned out to be much too heavy for Nick to operate, effecting his general mobility quite significantly.

As Nick grew up he learned to deal with his disability and started to be able to do more and more things on his own. He adapted to his situation and found ways to accomplish tasks that most people could only do by using their limbs, such as cleaning teeth, brushing hair, typing on a computer, swimming, playing sports, and much more. As time went by Nick began to embrace his situation and achieve greater things. In grade seven Nick was elected captain of his school and worked with the student council on various fund-raising events for local charities and disability campaigns.

According to Nick, the victory over his struggles throughout his journey, as well as his passion for life can be credited to his faith, his family, his friends and the many people he's encountered during his life who have encouraged him along the way.

After school Nick went on with further study and obtained a double bachelor degree majoring in accounting and financial planning. By the age of 19, Nick had started to fulfill his dream of encouraging others by sharing his story through motivational speaking. He found the purpose of his existence, and also the purpose in his circumstance. Nick wholeheartedly believes that there is a purpose in each of the struggles we encounter in our lives and that our attitude towards those struggles that can be the single most effective factor in overcoming them.

In 2005, Nick was nominated for the "Young Australian of the Year" Award, which is a large honor in Australia. The award honors a young person for their excellence and service to their local community and the nation, as well as their own personal accomplishments. Nominations for this award are only given to truly inspirational people.

Now at 27 years old, this limbless young man has accomplished more than most people even twice his age. Nick recently made the massive move from Brisbane, Australia to California, USA, where he is the president of an international non-profit organization, and also has his own motivational speaking company; Attitude Is Altitude. Since his first motivational speaking engagement back when he was 19, Nick has traveled around the world, sharing his story with millions of people, speaking to a range of different groups such as students, teachers, youth, business men and women, entrepreneurs, and church congregations of all sizes. He has also told his story and been interviewed on various televised programs worldwide. However, Nick's speaking engagements have gone beyond purely motivational speaking, he has had the opportunity to speak with several leaders, including the vice president of Kenya. This year alone Nick is set to speak in over 20 countries.

People ask Nick, "How can you smile?" Then they realize there's got to be something more to life than meets the eye if a guy without arms and legs is living a fuller life.

Nick shares with his audiences the importance of vision and dreaming big. Using his own experiences in worldwide outreach as examples, he challenges others to examine their perspective and look beyond their circumstances. He shares his view of ceasing to see obstacles as problems, but instead begin to see them as opportunities to grow and reach out to others. He stresses the importance of how attitude can be the most powerful tool we have at our disposal and illustrates how the choices we make can have a profound effect on our lives and the lives of those around us. Nick shows through his own life that the major keys in fulfilling our biggest dreams are persistence and choosing to embrace failure as a learning experience, rather than allowing the guilt and fear of failure to paralyze us.

How does Nick Vujicic feel about his disability now? He accepts it, embraces it and oftentimes pokes fun at his own circumstance as he shows off his many tricks. He meets challenges with his special blend of humor, perseverance and faith always encouraging those around him to examine their perspective as they develop and define their vision. Using those new definitions he challenges each person he meets to make changes in their lives so that they can begin the path to fulfilling their biggest dreams. Through his amazing ability to connect with people from all walks of life and his incredible sense of humor he captivates children, teens and adults alike, Nick is a true inspirational and motivational speaker.

[MysteRy]

Nick Vujicic, born without legs or arms, plunges into a pool for a swim.

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Bethany Hamilton teaches Nick how to surf in Hawaii in 2008. Bethany got her arm bitten off by a shark when she was a teenager - and was back on a surfboard within three weeks.

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Water sports aren't Nick's only thing - he also plays golf with a club tucked under his chin, and is a huge fan of the English Premier League.

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Nick at school as a ten-year-old child. His parents decided not to send him to a special school - a decision he said was very hard for him, but which may have been the best decision they could have made for him.

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Nick pictured during his travels in India. He has visited 24 different countries, touring the world as a motivational speaker.

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Nick enjoys the Hawaiian sun in his customised electric wheelchair.

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Nick writes using his mouth.

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Nick bobs happily about in the pool.

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Nick at just six months old.

[MysteRy]

Patrick Henry Hughes

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Patrick Hughes is a young man at University. of Louisville who was born blind and crippled and yet now plays the piano beautifully as well as "marches" in the Louisville marching band.

[MysteRy]

From the Streets to Success



Elizabeth "Liz" Murray (born September 23, 1980) is an American inspirational speaker who is best known as having been homeless in her youth, and as having overcome her hardship to achieve success.

Murray was born in the Bronx, New York on September 23, 1980 to poor, and drug-addicted parents who would later each contract HIV. She became homeless just after she turned 15, when her mother died of AIDS, and her father moved to a homeless shelter. Murray fought through some incredibly difficult circumstances and was finally able to turn her life around when she began attending the Humanities Preparatory Academy in Chelsea, Manhattan.

Though she started high school later than most students, and remained without a stable home while supporting herself and her sister, Murray graduated in only two years. She was awarded a New York Times scholarship for needy students and was accepted into Harvard University, matriculating in the fall semester of 2000. Murray ultimately finished college at Sarah Lawrence, unable to cope with the quality of the people she met at Harvard. According to her book Breaking Night, her older sister, Lisa, graduated from Purchase College in New York State and is a school teacher for autistic children.

 In late 2006, her father died of AIDS. She eventually returned to Harvard in 2006 and graduated in June 2009. As of August 2009, she began taking graduate courses at Harvard Summer School and would like to earn a doctorate in clinical psychology to counsel people from all walks of life. She is the founder and director of Manifest Living, a company that provides a series of workshops that empower adults to create the extraordinary things in their lives. A made-for-TV film about Murray's life Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story, was released in 2003. Liz Murray's New York Times (USA) & Sunday Times (UK) bestselling memoir "Breaking Night" was released in September 2010.

[MysteRy]

Jessica Cox



Jessica Cox, who was born in the early 80’s, has become the first woman in history to fly a plane, without arms.

Jessica was born with an unexplained birth defect, which resulted in her missing both of her arms. But this never stopped her from doing anything.

Jessica’s role model is her mother, and Jessica says ‘my father never shed a tear since I my birth, as he does not consider me to be a victim’.

Jessica’s always lived life to the fullest, and before learning to fly an aeroplane, she was involved in gymnastics, dancing and singing as a child. Then, she went onto swimming, surfing, driving a car, putting her own petrol in, playing the piano and even earning her black belt in Tai Quan Do.

After graduating from college in Arizona in 2005, where Jessica gained her degree in Psychology, she decided to overcome a fear of flying that she once had, and began to learn how to fly a plane.

Jessica is now a fully fledged pilot, who has a great sense of humour too. One mother’s day, she flew a plane with a banner attached to it reading ‘Look Mom, without arms!’

Jessica has the same insecurities that any young woman would have, such as body image and dating. The main thing that Jessica was concerned with, was not that she was born without arms, but of what people’s perceptions of her were. She says, ‘everywhere I go, I will be watched – walking in a store, eating at a restaurant, taking notes in a college lecture hall, pumping gas into my car – everywhere, eyes will be on me’.

Despite people’s perceptions, Jessica seems to cope through life and her insecurities quite well, she is now an Inspirational Speaker, who empowers others to live their lives to the full, just as she has. You can learn more about her through her website – www.rightfooted.com

[MysteRy]

Jessica learnt to dance from a very young age