Your attitude seals your fate, says Paralympian achiever

Dubai - The wheelchair-bound Deepa Malik has made records in swimming, biking, driving and won a silver medal at the Rio Paralympics 2016

There has never been a challenge that dimmed the spirit of 47-year-old Indian athlete Deepa Malik who became the first Indian woman to win a medal in Paralympics for her country. Malik bagged a historic silver medal at Rio Paralympics 2016.
Even after undergoing three spinal surgeries and with 200 stitches between her shoulder blades, the wheelchair-bound Deepa refused to succumb to adversities and started her sports career at the age of 36! She received the Arjuna Award in 2012 for her outstanding achievements and her name also has gone down in the record books for crossing one-kilometre stretch of the Yamuna River against the current in 2008, and then again for covering 58km by riding a special bike in 2013.
She completed the longest drive in India (3,278km from Chennai to Delhi) in 2013, while in 2011, she became the first paraplegic woman to drive to Khardunga La pass, the highest motorable pass in the world.
Malik gave an inspirational talk to students of over 20 schools gathered at the Indian High School (IHS) at the opening ceremony of the International Round Square MUN conference. IHS is hosting more than 400 delegates from 21 schools across the world for the conference, which will conclude today. Schools from Armenia, Japan, India, Bangladesh and Oman participated.
Malik's incredible story, grit and strength of character left the audience spellbound. Sharing her incredible life story with the students, Deepa also imparted some important lessons about life to the excited students. Deepa was told she would never be able to walk again when the doctors found tumours in her spine, which had to be removed else they could be fatal. So she had a choice of either death or disability for life. She was only 26 then, had two young daughters and her husband was at war in Kargil. Deepa grabbed the bull by its horns and faced life head on.
Although she was left paralysed from the waist down and the doctors told her that she would never walk again, Deepa did not let anyone define what she could or could not do. She decided to live life the way she wanted and fulfill her dreams. She went on to become a swimmer, biker, athlete, car rallyist, entrepreneur and motivational speaker. At 36, when most athletes retire, Deepa started her sports career and by her 44th birthday, she was among the top 10 Inspiring Indian sports personalities.
Her message to the over 400 students gathered at IHS' Sheikh Rashid auditorium was: "Don't let any challenge let you down, have some sources of happiness, something that rejuvenates your soul. Take initiative, work hard but acc-ept both success and failure, don't belittle anyone, keep your egos down and lead by example. So, whatever may be the circumstance in life, never lose hope and have faith in yourself. Your attitude needs to be positive and you will be a winner." Special guests at the event included Hind Al Mualla, chief of creativity, happiness and innovation at the Knowledge and Human Development Authority.
saman@khlaeejtimes.com

• Dubai