My Story

My Story: “Unlike My Elder Brother, Who Had Cherubic Face At The Time Of His Birth, I Was Born Disfigured”

Ashish Saini (31) was born with a rare congenital disorder called lymphatic malformation, which disfigured the left side of his face. Others always treated him with sympathy, ignorance, mockery, hatred, empathy and even, to some extent, guilt. It took him a long time to accept the reality of how he looked. Now, he is extremely comfortable in his own skin and pursues his passion for modelling through his blog.

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My Story: “Nani Reminds Me Over And Again That Age Is Just A Number When It Comes To Chasing One’s Dreams”

Yashi Chowdhary prompted her Nani, Manju Devi Poddar to start her own venture during the COVID-19 lockdown. Her Nani has always been passionate about cooking and finally started her venture at 70 with assistance from her granddaughter. Through ‘Nani’s Special’, they serve varieties of sweets, snacks and other dishes, and have even made deliveries overseas.

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My Story: ‘I Wanted To Help Struggling Litti-Chokha Seller, Zomato Assured To Get Him Onboard After My Tweet Went Viral’

Priyanshu Dwivedi, a freelance writer, resides in Maharashtra’s Mumbai. On March 16, he went to his customary stall, near Versova beach, to have Litti-Chokha. Although he has been a regular at the stall, that particular day he decided to engage in a conversation with the vendor, Yogesh, beyond the usual banter. He found out that the Yogesh was facing extreme difficulties in making ends meet. Later, Priyanshu tweeted about the incident and sought help from Zomato to get the stall listed on the platform. The tweet went viral, ending up being shared by the likes of actor Manoj Bajpayee and ultimately triggering a response from Zomato.

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My Story: ‘Ola Auto Driver Returned My Belongings, Refused To Accept Reward For His Honesty’

Susanta Sahoo, a digital marketing professional and a blogger, hails from Odisha’s Bhubaneshwar. On March 13, Sahoo misplaced his phone and wallet in an Ola autorickshaw while commuting from work. The rickshaw driver, a good Samaritan, returned his belongings and has become the internet’s new hero for his honesty after Sahoo’s tweet describing the incident went viral.

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My Story

Real-life, first-person accounts that remind us every human has a story to tell, experiences to share, and actions to inspire.

Swapnil Gawande was just 10 years old when his visually-impaired friend lost the battle against dengue. The tragedy pushed him to leave the lucrative opportunities that came his way and start eye donation banks across Maharashtra.
Hailing from a Dalit Christian family, Tabitha Percy was constantly told by her mother to walk on the street with her heads down. Now, she proudly holds her head high and embraces her identity with art.
Anmol Rodriguez became an acid attack victim when she was two months old. Growing up in an orphanage, she steered her way through life to become a head-strong individual and a model.
Sucheta Bhandare's humble roots intensified her love for agriculture. Leaving her job in Pune, she came back to her village in Nashik against her family's wishes to start a venture promoting healthy and holistic food.
Raghvendra Kumar, better known as the helmet man of India was devastated after his friend's death in a road accident. He took it upon himself to spread awareness about the importance of helmets in preventing deaths in road mishaps.
Shaheena Attarwala knew that she was destined for greatness from a very young age. From living in the slums to working in Microsoft, her story is an inspiring example of resilience.
Deeya Bajaj was a toddler when she went for her first hike on her father's back, unknowing that several expeditions awaited her. However, the best feeling was when she unfurled the tricolour on Sagarmatha peak, with her father by her side.
Uma Pai was diagnosed with the 'Big C' aka Breast Cancer many years ago. Now, as a survivor, she is setting fitness goals and proving to everyone that age is just a number.
Parjanya Sarma has been to forty countries and has seen four out of the seven wonders in the world. Nonetheless, he has had days when he slept on bean bags, in an unknown country.
Kalki Subramaniam is a transgender activist hailing from Pollachi in Tamil Nadu. Using her artistic prowess, she is making a difference for the community in India, who are often ostracised for being 'different' from the rest.
Hani Talla, a 30-year-old woman who has excelled in many outlooks of life and continues to achive more.
Shweta Parmar is the fourth licensed civilian woman skydiver in India and the first in Gujarat. She was lost in her work to make herself financially independent, so she used her savings to learn to skydive in Spain.
Indrani Tapati was born in Assam's conservative family, where boys were considered assets. She started a martial arts academy, aiming to stand out and prove herself. Today, she has over 400 students and three branches and won Gold in the Kettlebell National Championship.
Dr Shivani Pathak was constantly taunted by society and judged for her capabilities for being obese. However, fighting all odds, she participated in beauty pageants 'Ms E & E Plus Size India 2019' and 'Ms E & E Plus Size World 2020' and emerged as a winner in both competitions. Since then, there's no looking back!
Shweta Advani is a mindfulness coach who shifted from a corporate job to start 'Mindful Love Tribe', an organization that works towards helping people in practising mindfulness in everyday life.
After living with a loveless and sexless marriage for 6 years, Pallavi Barnwal decided to be a sex educator. Today, she is a globally renowned certified sexuality intimacy coach in the field of sexual wellness. She has counselled thousands of people in helping them understand, navigate, and solve challenges in their intimate life.
Usha Gupta (88) lost her husband to COVID-19 last year, when the country was battling the devastating second wave. After his death, she decided to make and sell a variety of pickles and donate her earnings to the COVID-19 patients.
Kanchan Ugursandi's decision to learn to ride a motorcycle was frowned upon because it was not for girls. Many years later, she broke all stereotypes becoming the world's first solo biker to scale 18 high-altitude Himalayan passes.
Dr Sudarshan Tomar is known for saving lives in Aligarh. Strongly influenced by Mahatma Gandhi's values, he took it upon himself to bring about positive changes in his village called Mahua, by encouraging eco-friendly activities that gave rise to employment opportunities.
Priya Pawar won Mrs India- Pride of the Nation Award years after having a son. She says that the journey to loving your body and having a positive self-image is the key to better physical and mental health.
Himanshu Gupta would work at his father's tea shop before and after school. He let go of his scholarship abroad because he could not leave his family. He cleared the 2019 exam for IPS and in 2020, became an IAS Officer.
Mugdha Agrey is a professional Badminton player who has throughout believed in her dream and achieved it. She now focuses on her next project and wants to make it to Paris Olympics 2024.
Prafull Billore is a 22-year-old first-generation entrepreneur who successfully runs an exponentially growing chai outlet - 'MBA CHAIWALA'. Prafull started his venture in 2017 and has grown today to have 22 outlets across the country.
Laxmi Joshi volunteered to fly for the Vande Bharat Mission and she was tasked to fly to Shanghai when China was peaking with COVID cases. She left worried parents back home in the service of the country.