Dashrath Manjhi

Where there is a will, there is a way. This saying has been proved right by Dashrath Manjhi, a native of Gehlour(near Gaya, Bihar) who singlehandedly and using only a hammer and a chisel carved out a 360-ft long, 25-ft high and 30-ft wide road from a mountain. This took him no less than 22 years. His feat reduced the distance between Atri and Wazirganj blocks of Gaya district from 75 km to just ten km, bringing him international acclaim. Dashrath Manjhi died on August 17,2007 . He was suffering from cancer the gall bladder.

Before Manjhi’s road, the hill kept the villages of the region in isolation, forcing the villagers to make an arduous and dangerous trek just to reach the nearest market town, or even their own fields. In 1959, this resulted in a tragedy in Manjhi’s household on the treacherous slope. His wife, Faguni Devi, was seriously injured while crossing the hill to bring him water. That was the day he decided to carve out a proper road through this hill. The mission he had set himself meant that he had to drop his wage-earning daily work — his family suffered and he himself often went without food. His love for his wife was the initial spark that ignited in him the desire to carve out a road. But what kept him going without fear or worry for 22 years was the desire to see thousands of villagers crossing the hill with ease whenever they wanted. He is now popularly known as ‘mountain man’..

Before Manjhi’s road, the hill kept the villages of the region in isolation, forcing the villagers to make an arduous and dangerous trek just to reach the nearest market town, or even their own fields. In 1959, this resulted in a tragedy in Manjhi’s household on the treacherous slope. His wife, Faguni Devi, was seriously injured while crossing the hill to bring him water. That was the day he decided to carve out a proper road through this hill. The mission he had set himself meant that he had to drop his wage-earning daily work — his family suffered and he himself often went without food. His love for his wife was the initial spark that ignited in him the desire to carve out a road. But what kept him going without fear or worry for 22 years was the desire to see thousands of villagers crossing the hill with ease whenever they wanted. He is now popularly known as ‘mountain man’..

Dashrath Manjhi belonged to Bihar’s Musahar community, regarded as the lowest among the state’s Scheduled Castes. While other Dalits in Bihar had at least some land rights under the erstwhile zamindarisystem, the Musahars never enjoyed any such. Nearly 98 percent of the state’s 1.3 million Musahars are landless today. Not even one percent of them are literate, which makes them the community with the country’s lowest literacy rate. For many of them, the day’s main meal still comprises roots, snails or rats, from which the community’s name is derived. After Manjhi completed his road, he worked tirelessly for the betterment of his community.

The state government had allotted a five-acre plot to Manjhi in Karjani village, which he donated for construction of a hospital. The government had recently announced to name the hospital after Manjhi. The mountain man’s only son and daughter in-law are handicapped and the family lives in abjectpoverty. For his own family, Manjhi could do nothing more than procuring an Indira Awaas Yojna unit.

In Manjhi’s own words, “What I did is there for everyone to see. When God is with you, nothing can stop you,” “I will keep working for the development of the villages here so long I am alive. I am neither afraid of any punishment from any government department for my work nor am I interested in any honour from the government “.

Jessica Cox

     Jessica Cox suffered a rare birth defect and was born without any arms. None of the prenatal tests her mother took showed there was anything wrong with her. And yet she was born with this rare congenital disease, but also with a great spirit. The psychology graduate can write, type, drive a car, brush her hair and talk on her phone simply using her feet. Ms Cox, from Tuscon, Arizona, USA, is also a former dancer and double black belt in Tai Kwon-Do. She has a no-restrictions driving license, she flies planes and she can type 25 words a minute.

The plane she is flying is called an Ercoupe and it is one of the few airplanes to be made and certified without pedals. Without rudder pedals Jessica is free to use her feet as hands. She took three years instead of the usual six months to complete her lightweight aircraft licence, had three flying instructors and practiced 89 hours of flying, becoming the first pilot with no arms.

Derek Anthony Redmond

       Derek Anthony Redmond (born 3 September 1965, in Bletchley, Buckinghamshire, England) is a retired British athlete. During his career, he held the British record for the 400 meters sprint, and won gold medals in the 4x400 meters relay at the World Championships, European Championships and Commonwealth Games.

However, his career was blighted by a series of injuries, and he is best remembered for his performance at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona where he tore his hamstring in the 400 meters semi-final but fought through the pain and, with assistance from his father, managed to complete a full lap of the track as the crowd gave him a standing ovation. The incident has become a well-remembered moment in Olympic history, having been the subject of one of the International Olympic Committee's 'Celebrate Humanity' videos and been used in advertisements by Visa as an illustration of the Olympic spirit and featured in Nike's "Courage" commercials in 2008.

Nicholas James Vujicic

         






Nicholas James Vujicic is an Australian preacher and motivational speaker born with tetra-amelia syndrome, a rare disorder characterized by the absence of all four limbs. As a child, he struggled mentally and emotionally, as well as physically, but eventually came to terms with his disability and, at the age of seventeen, started his own non-profit organization, Life Without Limbs. Vujicic presents motivational speeches worldwide, on life with a disability, hope, and finding meaning in life. He also speaks about his belief that God can use any willing heart to do His work and that God is big enough to overcome any and all disabilities.

Background and personal life..

The eldest child of a Serbian family, Vujicic was born in Brisbane, Australia. He was limbless, missing both arms at shoulder level, as well as legless. His feet were toeless except for two toes on one foot. Initially, his parents were devastated, though Vujicic was otherwise healthy.

Originally prohibited by Victoria state law from attending a mainstream school because of his physical disability, even though he was not mentally impaired, Vujicic became one of the first disabled students integrated into a mainstream school, once the laws changed.

Being bullied at school, Vujicic grew depressed and by the age of eight, contemplated suicide. At age ten he tried to drown himself, but did not go through with it out of love for his parents. After praying to grow arms and legs, Vujicic eventually realized that his accomplishments could inspire others – and became grateful for his life. A key turning point came when his mother showed him a newspaper article about a man dealing with a severe disability. Vujicic realized he wasn't unique in his struggles and began to embrace his disability.