The young man who conquered his limitation thanks to Unnati for all the help

Shivaprasad – 40th Batch – Admin – 95351-84946

‘Difficulties in your life do not come to destroy you, but to help you realise your hidden potential and power. Let difficulties know that YOU too are difficult.’ – Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.

Shivaprasad’s interview for a success story was very different from the beginning. It was he who called me twice to fix a schedule. And when I was delayed by a few minutes to the agreed-upon timing, I already had a ping on whatsapp.

When I finally got a chance to call him, he was very well prepared with the format. He spoke uninterrupted for 15 minutes, and his update had all the answers I needed.

It was a very comfortable, normal conversation. A couple of times initially, I had to ask him to repeat what he had just spoken. It was like any other “technical”  / network problem when the phone lines are not very clear. That is when Shivaprasad revealed his state:

Shivaprasad is challenged by birth. He has a speech impairment that prevents him from speaking continuously. He was turned back in many schools in and around Hasan, where he hails from. Finally, one school admitted him. He fared very well in his primary education and would top the class in academics.

But he had to go through a lot of harassment in high school, both from his classmates & teachers, because of his physical challenge. He was so distressed at one point that he told his parents (his father would do small jobs, and his mother was a home maker) that he wanted to quit education. That was when they sought medical help. Shivaprasad was diagnosed with a small problem in his brain which was causing the mild impairment.

The doctor prescribed tablets & gave him some confidence. Shivaprasad went on to complete his schooling and a B. Com degree in first class. Shivaprasad was very composed when he mentioned the impairment and harassment he had to go through, and did not get emotional with it. I was already beginning to draw inspiration from this braveheart!

After his degree, Shivaprasad was working in a small accounting firm, but there was a lot of negativity from his colleagues as well. He realized he could not continue there for too long, but definitely needed income to sustain. This was when a cousin of his mentioned Unnati to him.

Shivaprasad joined the 40th batch of Unnati in Sep 2013, and joined the  Admin vocation. At Unnati, he mentions he thoroughly enjoyed the Spoken English classes & the lessons on life skills. He is very thankful that the people at Unnati saw him as just another normal youngster, and were very encouraging!

After his course at Unnati, he was placed in an accounting firm that paid him around Rs.1,00,000 a year. He worked there for 6 months, but his family situation demanded a little more money.

So he decided to conquer the difficulty in his life. He applied for an accounting backend job at IBM, and with all the positivity gained from Unnati, was able to clear 5 rounds of verbal interviews with IBM. Double delight: Shivaprasad landed the job, and had successfully overcome the limitation!

He now has a job that pays him almost Rs.2,00,000 an annum, a 100% more than his previous job, and he is very contended.

Shivaprasad says that once he joined Unnati, only positive things have happened in his life. Unnati taught him to deal with life in a positive way. Shivaprasad mentions that he will never forget Unnati in his life, and wants to do something for the organization that has transformed his life so much.

Team Unnati is thrilled to have trained someone life Shivaprasad, who has effectively controlled his mind & his fate! Congratulations Shivaprasad!, we wish you many more successes in life.

Contribution by Sukanya Kuppuswamy ( volunteer )

Team Unnati