New Delhi: Bomb-blast survivor Malvika Iyer, the second woman achiever handling Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s social media account on International Women’s Day on Sunday, tweeted a message of courage — How we survive our challenges matters the most.
“Acceptance is the greatest reward we can give ourselves. We can’t control our lives but we surely can control our attitude towards life. At the end of the day, it is how we survive our challenges that matters the most. Know more about me and my work — @MalvikaIyer #SheInspiresUs,” she tweeted from Modi’s account.
Iyer survived a bomb blast when she was just 13. But that didn’t deter her from pursuing her dreams.
Elaborating, she tweeted: “I survived a gruesome bomb blast at the age of 13 that blew off my hands and severely damaged my legs. Yet, I worked and went on to get my PhD. Giving up is never an option. Forget your limitations and take on the world with confidence and hope.”
The survivor who triumphed life’s struggles through higher education knows its importance. Calling education ‘indispensable’, she also urged to sensitise young minds so that they don’t discriminate.
Having gone through discrimination herself, Iyer said: “We need to show people with disabilities as role models instead of showing them as weak and dependent.”
She added: “Attitude is half the battle in destigmatising disability.”
She said the mindset towards disabled people must change. “The fact that the honourable PM has chosen to broadcast my views on the Women’s Day makes me believe that India is on the right path in dismantling age-old superstitions regarding disability,” Iyer asserted.
Modi on Sunday announced that seven women achievers will share their lives’ journeys and interact with the people through his social media accounts on the occasion of International Women’s Day.
Earlier Modi handed over his social media accounts to Sneha Mohandoss of ‘FoodBank-India, who feeds the poor in Chennai.
