Malvika Iyer is a bilateral amputee, bomb blast survivor, social worker, Ph.D. scholar, and Junior Research Fellow at Madras School of Social Work. She is an alumnus of St. Stephen’s College, Delhi, and Delhi School of Social Work. She has worked extensively with differently abled children at the Centre for Child and Adolescent Well Being, Delhi. She has also undertaken research projects in PEHEL, University of Delhi and Schizophrenia Research Foundation (SCRAF).
Malvika was 13 when a grenade exploded in her hands on May 26, 2002. She lost both her hands and was severely injured in her legs. After a string of surgeries and 18 months of hospitalization, she started walking with the help of crutches, and was fitted with a pair of myo-electric hands that helped her with basic chores. Malvika is the first Indian ever to get an iLimb of Touch Bionics. At certain lakhs, the limb is not cheap, but Malvika says it has changed her life.
Despite the time lost in recovering from injuries, Malvika achieved state rank in 10th grade, and then moved to St. Stephen’s college. Malvika secured first class with distinction in M.Phil. in Social Work from Madras School of Social Work. She was awarded the ‘Rolling Cup’ for the ‘Best M.Phil. Thesis’ in 2012. Her thesis was titled ‘Quality of Life of individuals with Orthopedic Disability in Rehabilitation Centres in Chennai’.
Malvika was a speaker at TEDxYouth@Chennai 2013 where she spoke about ‘Inclusion’ and how it has enhanced the quality of her life. On a similar note, she acted in a short film ‘The Phoenix’ directed by her mother (Hema Malini) on the theme ‘Celebrate Inclusion; Celebrate Life’. It was shortlisted for the ABILITY FEST 2013 (an India-International Disability Film Festival). She hosted India Inclusion Summit 2013,
Multi-talented Malvika Iyer blogs and pens poem at an interestingly named blog, Periwinkle Mist (http://malvikaiyer.blogspot.in/).