A LinkedIn post by Sujith Kumar, an HR professional, narrated the story of a visually challenged woman who had approached him for a job. Starting off narrating the incident by asking, "Do you believe in miracles?" he takes the readers through a series of events through which he conveys that asking for help could take someone to unexpected heights.
It all started when Sujith received the CV of the visually challenged candidate, Chitra. He offered to meet Chitra to understand her capacities and see if he could offer her a role. The one meeting they had changed it all toward a hopeful and inclusive tomorrow.
Turning Obstacles Into Stepping Stones
Chitra was born and brought up in a humble family hailing from the Ariyalur district of Trichy. She had lost her father about eight years back, after which the entire responsibility of the family fell on her shoulders. This included the responsibility of her mother and sister, who are both visually challenged.
In Chitra's case, she had partial vision until the age of 12, after which a mistake by an inexperienced doctor led to the loss of her vision entirely, along with permanent nerve damage in her eyes. Despite being challenged visually, she did not hold herself back from pursuing her academic goals. She wanted to get educated, and with a determined mind, she completed her postgraduate studies in the subject of History.
After this, she opted for the B.Ed course and completed it with flying colours in the hope of becoming a teacher someday. However, getting a job proved to be ten times more tasking than receiving an education as a visually challenged.
In his post, Sujith mentions how Chitra was rejected even for simple tele calling jobs. Such was the hesitation of employers towards offering a job to a differently-abled. Until the day she met Sujith, she had faced over 80 job rejections but continued to try tirelessly. After many attempts at securing a job, Chitra got to connect with Sujith through a Facebook friend, who decided to meet with her before he could take a decision. Talking about the day when they officially met, he said, "I could sense her pain, and she was desperate to land any kind of job."
Having seen the helplessness, he wanted to bring back some hope and asked her if a teaching profession would excite her. Soon after the question was posed, he says that Chitra smiled for the first time and responded, "Sir...that's my dream."
Even though he was unsure of how to proceed with the CV further, he decided to ask around for help. Stating that over the years of his work as an HR, he has learned that "when you ask help for someone whom you don't know, the worst answer you receive can be a 'No', but what if it's a 'Yes'? It can change the life of that person." The 'yes' that they unexpectedly received after asking for help was the miracle they both had hoped would happen.
A Teacher Who Would Light The Path For The Rest
Calling up an old friend, Sai Prakash, the CEO of the Sairam group of Institutions in Chennai, Sujith enquired about the possibility of an opportunity for a visually challenged teacher. After listening patiently, Sai replied, "Sir, this is something new to us, and we have never worked with a visually challenged teacher and don't have the experience, but that's exactly the reason why I want to say a Yes."
They strongly believed that the change had to begin someplace and decided to let their institution be the very place. According to the post, Sujith and Chitra went to the institution the next day and were formally discussing the scope and job nature. Upon being appointed, Sai conveyed to Chitra that she is an inspiration to all of them and has to inspire their students the same way.
Chitra joined the school as a teacher on November 1 and will soon be bringing along her family to live with her in Chennai.
Support Kept Pouring In From Netizens
The LinkedIn post, which took the story of Chitra's journey to the public, garnered a hugely positive response. With over 2,400 likes, 180 comments, and 40 reposts, the story reached a large audience who have expressed their elation over Chitra's appointment.
Many users lauded Sujith's initiative of connecting her with potential employees when over 80 employers rejected her without even meeting her. Sujith ended the post by expressing his gratitude to his friend Sai Prakash and his wonderful gesture, and wrote, "Diversity and Inclusivity (D&I) is not just applicable for multinational corporations (MNCs) but when educational institutions practise inclusivity - it's a game changer."
Commenting about this aspect, a user said, "Many of us only talk big until it comes to practical execution. A big applause for Sai Prakash, who had that vision of bringing in the positive shuffle in society." Many others continue to pour in best wishes to Chitra as she steps into a new and even more challenging phase of her life.
Also Read: Meet Sundeep, A Visually Impaired Spotify Host & A Stand-Up Comedian