I was born in Allahabad and was just six months when I got polio. My polio was so severe that no other part of my body could work apart from my head. My parents went to several doctors, and I underwent many treatments, and we saw a slight improvement, but nothing more could be done. Today, I do my daily activities like eating, bathing, making my bed and so on. I was in Class 12 in Allahabad when I filled the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) form. I secured a place and came to study at NIFT in Delhi.
I was studying textile design but had to drop out in my second year. There are several things in the field that a physically challenged person cannot do, like weaving. My faculty supported me a lot, and I am so thankful for them. So when I dropped out of NIFT in the second year, I lied at my place, saying that I had taken a break and was going for an internship. I was not doing an internship and was just at my house in Delhi.
Wrote To Companies Endlessly
In my spare time, I learnt digital marketing through the internet. In 2014- 2015, Digital Marketing was relatively new in India, and everyone would do that. Then, I wrote emails to all the companies under Fortune 500. I kept writing to them until I got a ‘no’ from them or any other response. Luckily, one company agreed to take the application process further and agreed to provide me with a job. While I was working, I further honed my skills in digital marketing and started taking up clients outside my job. Everything was going okay, but since I could not walk, I required an electric wheelchair. I did not have enough money to buy one for me.
So my friend and I ran a campaign on a crowd-funding platform and managed to collect ₹4,10,000 to buy a new wheelchair. However, the problem is that I cannot go outside my house because I live in an area that is not disabled-friendly. My next target is to move into a better area, but I do not have the money for it. It has been ten years since I dropped out of NIFT, and I have just gone outside once with the help of my brother, that too, to apply for my Aadhar card.
Lost My Job In The Lockdown
When I started becoming a little stable financially, the lockdown happened, and I lost my job. My other clients also reduced the amount they paid because everyone was facing a cash crunch. After the lockdown ended, I started content creation on Instagram. Up until now, I am not earning through this, but I am doing it because I wanted to do it. I want to keep going ahead with the same attitude and hope to achieve great heights in my career.
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