When we first heard about Kartik, we were not aware of his parentage or his accomplishments. After a bit of research, we found the following content online- “Kartik Chandrashekar was born with cerebral palsy. He lives in Chennai. He has completed a M. Phil in English, a diploma in Media Studies, a MA in History, a diploma in Astrology, BLIs, Basic Computer Diploma, and a Disaster Management Diploma. He runs a library from his home.”
The last sentence grabbed our attention and we went on to research the motive behind the venture. What struck us was unfair reality! What we learnt horrified us. Before starting his library, Kartik had attended many job fairs and interviews for BPOs, content writing, online jobs and library jobs. Kartik kept facing rejections and dejections wherever he turned. His voice being unclear, his typing speed being low and his office being too far away for a person with disability were cited as reasons. Why is it difficult to have an inclusive India? How can we turn a blind eye to the needs of the differently abled, that too in a place where the concept of “Vasudaiva Kutumbakam” is preached? Do multiple qualifications have no weightage if it is held by a differently abled individual?
Today, Kartik is the face for “I M POSSIBLE”. He is quietly leading a whole new revolution by running his Sri Chakra lending library in Chennai. We felt that writing a story on this entrepreneurship will not gain him what we intended to give; so we ran a book collection drive for his library. We braved sun and rain and the response turned out to be phenomenal.
Indeed, life is not a having and a getting. But a being and a becoming!
(Do watch Kartik’s interview below. It is raw, unedited and at times, may be noisy. But we are sure that the lasting impact this warrior is going to leave behind may become… a Spark for Your Success!)
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