When misfortune strikes, only the bravest emerge from the trail of hardships it leaves behind. At 13, Malavika Iyer of Kumbakonam in Tamil Nadu met with a near-fatal accident that left her physically shattered. Anybody else would have given up. She didn’t. Today, all of 20, she advises others on how to face and win over apparently insurmountable odds.
Brought up in Bikaner, Rajasthan, Malavika studied economics at St Stephen’s College, New Delhi. On May 26, 2002, her world turned topsy-turvy after she survived a freak blast at an ammunition depot.
The ghastly accident cost her both her hands and severely damaged both her legs. After a string of surgeries and 18 months of hospitalisation, she started walking with the help of crutches and was fitted with a pair of myo-electric hands that helped her with basic chores.
The trauma led to a transformation. With her parents’ support, she took her Class X examinations as a private candidate in Chennai and after four months of preparation, she secured 97 per cent with 100 in Mathematics and Science. She ranked first in the state. Her success motivated her further. She joined regular school in class XI and didn’t let her handicap hinder her. She passed her 12th boards with a 95 per cent.
She joined St Stephens’s College in 2006 and pursued music alongside studies. She became the NGO coordinator of the Wildlife Society and executive member of the Commonwealth Society.
During the Wildlife Society’s annual festival ‘Prakriti’, she brushed shoulders with self-help groups consisting of underprivileged men, women and children who made articles like jute bags, purses, home décor and greeting cards to earn their livelihood. Malavika ran a campaign to sell their products. In the aftermath of the Tsunami, she donated clothes and medicines to the victims and took part in the peace march in Delhi to protest against the 26/11 Mumbai attacks.
Malavika’s example teaches us that patience and determination can take you out of the deepest woods. Her missionary zeal, coupled with simplicity and humility, helped her understand the true meaning of life. At such a young age, Malavika’s intention is commendable: she wants to fight for the rights of the oppressed and end the injustices done to the underprivileged. Presently pursuing a masters in social work from Delhi University, Malavika underlines the basic concept of life — fight and you will survive, surrender and you will be wiped out. All of us would do well to learn that from her.
—N Raghuraman is an editor with DNA
