THE BRAVE DAUGHTER,A WIDOW & A WIFE OF BRAVE SOLDIERS- MUST READ

http://forum.soldier2ndlife.com/t/the-success-of-the-spirit/364 The Success Of The SpiritRashmi< 1mA daughter, a widow, and a wife...three women who overcame personal tragedies with strength and determination. This is their story. Tiffany Maria Brar: In faraway Thiruvananthapuram, a Non-Profit Organisation by the name of Jyothirgamaya came up in July 2014. Its motto: “If blind cannot go to school, let the school go to them” and their mission is to empower the blind through individual need based training. The young lady behind all this is Tiffany Maria Brar, who herself is visually impaired. Tiffany Maria Brar, who initiated this mobile blind school named the project Jyothirgamaya (Leading To Light) Mobile school for the blind. Jyothirgamaya offers training to blind children and adults at their residence and seeks to not only lead the blind to enlightened and holistic lives, but also attempts to give the sighted population a new perspective on how to look at the blind. Tiffany was born in 1988 in a multi-cultural background with her father being a Sikh officer and her mother an Anglo-Indian. She is the daughter of Lt. Gen. T.P.S Brar, PVSM, YSM (Retd) and Late Leslie Brar. Six months after her birth, it was discovered she was visually challenged and there was a problem with the retina that could not be rectified. Due to her father’s military transferable job, there was no continuity in her schooling, but in her travels she became multi-lingual and learnt five Indian languages. Yet her school environment was unsympathetic as is often the case. She finally came across the co-founders of Braille Without Borders and Kanthari and here she got her first job as a receptionist in 2009. She learnt computers and how to handle technology. She started traveling around Trivandrum, and gradually started making bus and train journeys outside Trivandrum, by herself. During her time at Kanthari, she felt a need to do something to increase the opportunities for the blind. She enrolled in special education courses, for the disabled and passed her B.Ed. in Visual Impairment Special Education with good results. Armed for the occasion, Tiffany then decided to initiate her new project… and the Jyothirgamaya Mobile School for the blind was born. Under its auspices, she has trained numerous beneficiaries in Braille, mobility, daily living skills, and basic computer use and was awarded with the Kerala State Disability Award in 2014. Tiffany’s dream speech is a must watch for everyone and can be found on the following link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JV6EOLGb1SQ Subhashini Vasanth: Subhashini Vasanth is an accomplished Bharatanatyam dancer who holds a graduate degree in Psychology, Literature and Journalism. In addition to being a performing artist, she teaches classical dance, enjoys modeling and a bit of acting – she has played the lead role in a play she has written called “The Silent Front” that highlights the strength and sacrifices made by a soldier’s wife. She loves travelling and has done so extensively – traversing the most inaccessible areas in India as an Army wife, and across picturesque European locations as a dancer. In memory of her husband Col Vasanth, she has set up the Vasantratna Foundation for Art, through which she reaches out to children of martyrs, especially those from the ranks, to help them with their education in the form of scholarships. She lives with her two daughters in Bangalore. Late Colonel Vasanth, AC, Commanding Officer, 9 Maratha Light Infantry laid down his life while fighting insurgents in Jammu and Kashmir on 31st July 2007 while deployed on the Line of Control in the rugged and inaccessible Uri Sector. He was awarded Ashok Chakra (Posthumous) for his gallant act and supreme sacrifice and was the first person from the state of Karnataka to receive this honour. The Vasanthara Foundation uses arts as a medium for covering projects in education and empowerment and aims to create a support system for the spouses and families of Armed Forces personnel. More than mere cosmetic support, they try to empower women from martyrs’ families through education and the arts, and help them to discover their potential to achieve their goals. They also help in educating and training their children and provide family counselling and legal support. Their ventures extend from holding cultural show to allow the ladies to express themselves and shed their diffidence, to organising and participating in marathons. Since its inception, the Foundation has reached out to over ____ families of martyrs across Karnataka and hopes to extend its reach across the nation. You can read up more on their selfless work at: http://www.vasantharatna.org/index.html Deepa Malik: An army man’s wife, a former beauty queen, a mother of two, a restaurateur and entrepreneur, an international swimmer and athlete and now a biker; 38 year-old Deepa Malik wears a multitude of hats each one of which she dons with aplomb, cheerfulness and a never-say-die attitude that characterises her. Deepa is a paraplegic who was confined to the wheel chair since 1999 but has not let that affect her participation in Adventure sports. Braving her life with chest below paralysis, and three spinal tumor injuries she is now an International sports person and medallist, first paraplegic woman biker and car rally driver. Wife of a veteran Cavalier officer, Col. Bikram Malik and daughter of a veteran Infantry officer, Col. Nagpal, Deepa is very proud of her Army origins. Her husband, family and friends have been her support system every step of the way. Whether it is swimming against the strong Yamuna current, or riding a special bike or even taking a shot at the Paralympics, she has done it all! National and international medals in swimming, shot-put and javelin throw are just a few of her incredible achievements. She also participated in the formidable motor sport event the Raid De Himalaya in 2009 and the Desert Rally and was honoured with the ‘True Grit Award’ for outstanding courage. She was nominated in the Limca Book of World Records for her swimming records and awarded the Arjuna Award in 2012. Deepa is a motivational and inspirational speaker. She is also a member of the working group in the formulation of the 12th five-year plan (2012 -2017) for Sports and Physical Education and a keen activist. The awards she has won over the years do not reflect her courage. For that you have to see her unfailing enthusiasm and constant cheerfulness. Her disability has not pulled her down – it has given her wings. Her adversity has not affected her – it has merely strengthened her courage. They are but three ladies from the Services family who have overcome their setbacks to carve out distinctive niches for themselves and also selflessly given back to society with kindness and generosity. There are so many more like them. Tell us their stories. It is an inspiration to us all