Visually Impaired Girl from IIM-L Stuns the World

By Shariq Hussain

Posted on February 21, 2017

Paridhi Varma, a 21-year-old girl who’s visually impaired with only 10% visibility from IIM-L (Lucknow) have outdone everyone by getting a job in a micro-finance bank.

During the placement process in Indian Institute Management – Lucknow (IIM-L), Paridhi bagged the job of Customer Relationship Executive from a micro-finance bank and left everyone with a pleasant surprise.

This achievement by Jaipur girl and IIM-Lucknow graduate, Paridhi becomes particularly special when as she has lost 90% vision to a disease named macular degeneration. She is a BBA graduate from ICG, Jaipur, and a diploma holder in mass communication and video production. Paridhi aspired for civil services till she met a friend who suggested that she prepares for CAT.

In an interview, she said: “Yes, I have a disability. I suffer from macular degeneration with visual impairment up to 90 percent. With 10 percent vision, I may have to take a slightly different path than others. Macular degeneration is a very rare disease and occurs in one in seven lakh people. It is incurable and progressive in my case.”

Her problem was detected when she was in 5^th standard when some color got into her eyes while playing Holi. Her father Satendra and mother Krishna Prabha Varma, rushed her to the hospital. The doctor prescribes her glasses, but unfortunately, it didn’t stop Paridhi to lose her eyesight.

She managed to beat all the odds and said being spiritual from a very young age helped her tremendously through the tough years. This made her help in faster learning and quick adaptation.

Normally, in an examination, one writes his/her own destiny. In her case, her destiny was in the writer’s hand. She says: “Writers cannot be trusted, in class 10, my scribe wrote COBRA instead of COPRA (Consumer Protection Act) in my economics exam. Even at IIM-L errors committed by the scribe definitely made my academics suffer.”

Her two years at IIM-L was the first time she was being away from home. She says “Initially, I was not able to manage because preparations involved a lot of reading. At home, dad read out lessons for me. There was a time when I thought of quitting, but then my seniors came forward and volunteered to help me overcome my challenges. I have a disability, but I focus only on my abilities.”

Varma parents both work in the defense ministry. She is thankful to her parent’s for their support. “I am a single child. My parents never let me go to any special institute. They chose to make me study in regular reputed schools.” She now describes a support system for her parents.

Paridhi Varma was awarded many times for determination towards life. Below are the achievements which she achieved in her life:

• Awarded as “Women Of The Future” in 2015 by the Government of Rajasthan.
• Her parent’s received ‘Nobel Laurent Kailash Satyath Award’ on her behalf in 2015.
• She was part of Under 18 state level football team which won the tournament.
• She also learned to play guitar and formed a college band which they used to perform at concerts
• Paridhi also did a ramp walk at her College Festival.

Her life is an example for rising against all odd, achieving life goals and leading a successful life with your determination and positive attitude towards life. Read more news.

Visually Impaired Girl from IIM-L Stuns the World