"I love challenges. The harder the better"I want to prove myself. I love challenges, the harder, the better." These are not the words of a regular teenager. Then again, Arvind Malik is not an ordinary 16 year old. Completely blind since birth, Arvind, a resident of the National Association for the Blind (NAB) defied not only his disability, but also, the actions of an uncaring school to reach the finals of the International Informatics Olympiad.
Life for Arvind has not been easy. A student at St. Mary's, Delhi from classes 6th to 9th, his years at the school resulted in once bright and cheerful boy becoming reserved and quiet. Unintentionally having taken help from his writer, he was accused of cheating in an exam and as a consequence, lost an entire academic year. "They asked me if my writer had helped me. I said yes. They punished me for telling the truth." This setback did not deter him. His subsequent admission to Salwan Public School, according to him was what gave him a "new direction in life."
The school's Principal, Mrs. Vandana Puri has been "an inspiration" for Arvind. "I enjoy going to school. It was here that I learnt HTML and MS Access within a span of just 10 days." He says. Constantly encouraged by his teachers, he mustered courage to participate in the Informatics Olympiad held in November 2009. "The questions they asked were pretty simple". With the finals due on Feb 4th 2010, Arvind is planning his routine accordingly, putting in extra hours for coaching classes organised by the school.
Arvind has not been at NAB his entire life. Originally a student of Sharp Memorial School, Arvind came to Delhi in the 6th standard. His parents, Rev. Mushtaque Malik and Rev. Neeram Malik had come across the NAB during one of their trips to Delhi.
Always a smart student, Arvind struggled initially. Shanta Rangarajan, an English teacher at the NAB who taught Arvind in the 6th and 7th standards said, "Arvind was reluctant to use the plastic Braille slates as he was used to the two - grid wooden ones earlier."
Blindness is no longer an impediment to this ever-so-cheerful adolescent.
He's excited when he tells us about his maiden trip outside Delhi, all by himself to Dehradun in a train. "I was scared, but my parents were even more worried. Now, however, they trust that nothing will happen to me. " he says with a smile.
He loves to read and enjoys Shakespeare's 'Julius Caesar'. Mohammed Rafi is his favourite singer. "His voice has a lot of feeling." He says. His ambition in life is to reach out to those deprived of proper schooling.
Arvind along with his parents and teachers, attributes his achievements to his strong religious faith. As we are preparing to leave, he said, his favourite piece of poetry was one by Jagjit Singh.
Meri rooh Khuda mein magan hain ,
Jaan meri Najat se khush hai.
Mere sar ko usne buland kiya,
Ab kaun hain mera uske siva.."
(My soul is foccussed on God. I rejoice in the freedom of my life. He has raised my lowered head . Who else do I need besides him?)
Life for Arvind has not been easy. A student at St. Mary's, Delhi from classes 6th to 9th, his years at the school resulted in once bright and cheerful boy becoming reserved and quiet. Unintentionally having taken help from his writer, he was accused of cheating in an exam and as a consequence, lost an entire academic year. "They asked me if my writer had helped me. I said yes. They punished me for telling the truth." This setback did not deter him. His subsequent admission to Salwan Public School, according to him was what gave him a "new direction in life."
The school's Principal, Mrs. Vandana Puri has been "an inspiration" for Arvind. "I enjoy going to school. It was here that I learnt HTML and MS Access within a span of just 10 days." He says. Constantly encouraged by his teachers, he mustered courage to participate in the Informatics Olympiad held in November 2009. "The questions they asked were pretty simple". With the finals due on Feb 4th 2010, Arvind is planning his routine accordingly, putting in extra hours for coaching classes organised by the school.
Arvind has not been at NAB his entire life. Originally a student of Sharp Memorial School, Arvind came to Delhi in the 6th standard. His parents, Rev. Mushtaque Malik and Rev. Neeram Malik had come across the NAB during one of their trips to Delhi.
Always a smart student, Arvind struggled initially. Shanta Rangarajan, an English teacher at the NAB who taught Arvind in the 6th and 7th standards said, "Arvind was reluctant to use the plastic Braille slates as he was used to the two - grid wooden ones earlier."
Blindness is no longer an impediment to this ever-so-cheerful adolescent.
He's excited when he tells us about his maiden trip outside Delhi, all by himself to Dehradun in a train. "I was scared, but my parents were even more worried. Now, however, they trust that nothing will happen to me. " he says with a smile.
He loves to read and enjoys Shakespeare's 'Julius Caesar'. Mohammed Rafi is his favourite singer. "His voice has a lot of feeling." He says. His ambition in life is to reach out to those deprived of proper schooling.
Arvind along with his parents and teachers, attributes his achievements to his strong religious faith. As we are preparing to leave, he said, his favourite piece of poetry was one by Jagjit Singh.
Meri rooh Khuda mein magan hain ,
Jaan meri Najat se khush hai.
Mere sar ko usne buland kiya,
Ab kaun hain mera uske siva.."
(My soul is foccussed on God. I rejoice in the freedom of my life. He has raised my lowered head . Who else do I need besides him?)
(This story was written along with Shalini Narayan)
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