CTH Story of Innusingh Tripathy

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Innusingh is a lady with grit and strong determination. She has achieved success amidst adversities. Her hard work has taken her to places. She being intelligent and ambitious, could do things which nobody had expected her to do. A fashion designer, a qualified HR and Marketing executive, a wife and a mother..she manages everything with great zest and enthusiasm. She is an adept singer, painter and a writer too She has anchored and organized fashion shows for the physically challenged. She believes in carry yourself well and put your effort to the right direction..She in her own words says, "I have too much respect for my challenged life"... How do you manage your day to day activities...yourself or with assistance? I am totally independent in my daily routine and in my house hold job. I need an assistant when I go out, to shift me from my wheelchair to car and vice-versa and of course to handle my wheel chair as I use a manual one. You said you have 7 siblings...how did they take your physical status? My physical status was always treated as sickness by them, which had to be taken care for the life time. Some of them discarded me and some of them have become my care taker but unfortunately only of my physical affairs but again my emotional needs were left aside. You had many brothers and sisters, then why did you feel isolated? When I became conscious, I could realize where I stand on, I found my self totally out of track. All my brothers and sisters were in school and had wonderful friend's circle which I didn't have. All of them went to play out side and went to watch TV to our neighbors which I didn't. So I had nothing common with them. Neither my physical challenges nor the emotional ups and downs, which I used to go through almost every minute of my life. So in short I was an "ODD MAN OUT". You are happily married and blessed with a son...how do your husband and son take your physical status? They see me as a complete individual. A compatible partner to my husband and a loving mother to my son. But yes when my physical problem comes, they used to be over possessive like my mom (she used to do the same).Though sometime I hate this but at the same time I know this is one of their ways to shower their love and care on me. So I accept the way love comes to me. How did you manage your college studies...through regular mode or through distance education? I completed my +2 through regular mode. My college was not at all accessible. I always checked my timetable before going to college to see where the classes would be held. If it was upstairs then I used to take two assistants with me. They used to lift me with my wheelchair to whatever floor I needed to go for my classes but they didn't stay for full time as it was not allowed. I was so hesitant at that time, I never approached the college authority to grant me any special arrangement and they also never came forward to help me in anyway. It was my friends who took the charge to shift me from one floor to another. I was in women's college so all of them were girls but they had enough courage to share my challenges with me. Here they proved "there is a will there is a way" and I had in my mind "do it by hook or by crook." but I really salute the sprite of my friends and would always be grateful to them till my end. I had almost settled down with the new environment but unfortunately my treatment was also going on at that time. I wad needed to get admitted in the hospital for surgery so this situation forced me to change the mode of my studies from regular to distance. I did my bachelor in commerce through distance mode. Why did you choose Fashion Designing? I had a passion for fashion from the very beginning. And gradually I noticed that the understanding of it can add new dimensions to ones life for me it is not only all about garment designing but it has all the ability to design a life. It can be very nicely merged with soft-skill and personality development with great career option. More over if I think and speak specifically I realized later in my life that fashion is almost a prohibited area for person with disability. Disability is always regarded with deformity and we are always tagged as medical case rather than a individual. I personally feel the proper understanding of this field of fashion can teach one to present any damn thing on the earth in best possible manner. Hence it is equally important for us like any other individual of society to carry your self well and be presentable to be noticed and to be heard. It adds lot of positivism to life and helps to change the negative attitude of so called normal people towards challenged person. You said you like photography and gardening...Can you do it easily while sitting on a wheelchair? As we are challenged we face challenges every where. Here also I need to put some extra effort. I keep everything in a very compact form which I can manage even if in any case I have to manage it all alone. I have a very small garden and a gardener too but still I water my plants. I trim them. I color the flower pots by sitting from my wheel chair as this way I give a personal touch to my garden. The only thing I need is accessibility for my wheelchair. What is your idea of a perfect life? For me perfect life is a life you are happy with and respected by all. It should be qualitative rather than quantitative. What message would you like to give to the people with disabilities? Spend some time for self analysis. Concentrate more on what you are good in. Don't think too much that you are disabled and never allow anybody to take you as disabled. Always have a positive and balanced approach to life. What do you think about Cross the Hurdles? Truly speaking I always don't like to talk about my physical challenges. I feel normal. I live a normal life and I too like all the other aspects of life as other so called normal girl do. But at the same time I also feel the need of revealing the facts of our life (which is very personal) just to make others understand the whole issue of disability but of course in the right place and on the right platform. Cross the Hurdles is one of such place I feel.

Innusingh Tripathy Orissa Education: Kovid in Hindi, MBA in HR and Marketing, Diploma in fashion designing MaritalStatus: Married Disability: Post Polio Residual Paralysis. Wheel-Chair User. Profession: Home based business of Garment Designing Contact: contact@crossthehurdles.com Quick Fire! Favorite movie(s) "Umrao jaan", "Neekah","Prem Rog" of yester years and "3 Idiots","Tare Zameen Par" of present era. Favorite books "Gaban" of Munshi Premchand and Mills & Boon Favorite color Red Most valuable thing that you have purchased till now The land on which I have built my dream house. If you are marooned on an island what 5 things you would like to keep with you Food,water,a tent,some cloths and my wheel chair, Favorite food Apart from Indian food i love Chinese. Your biggest strength My mom If you take birth again, who would you like to be born as? Would love to be born as Innu again(won't mind if I ll have the same physical status) but with better career opportunity.As i feel some time I could not do what I could have done. So want a chance again to live my life to its fullest. The thing(s) that you hate Helplessness. The first thing you do right after awaking up in the morning I look at my son's face before i start my day. The last thing you before falling asleep in the night Before going to sleep I have a glance over my son's face to make sure that he has a sound sleep so hat I can rest in peace. You prefer sons or daughters? Son!! As I am more comfortable with guys. Oft-repeated word/sentence by you "Somen kaha ho bich bich me mamma ko apna chehra dikhao" (Somen...my son) If world is going to be destroyed in next 5 minutes. What would you do during this time? Will hold the hand of my son and hubby so that we can take our last breath together and ll ask the last question to my better half "would you like to have me as your partner in next birth if god ll give us an opportunity?" What will be your resolution on the new year? Would like to be more revised so that people around me can love me more and more. The best gift that somebody can offer to you? Respect Your bedroom take fire what would you rescue at first? My Wheel Chair and my mobile phone The town/country that you want to visit? I would like to visit "Doha" again for the same kind of conference (dis-ability meet) I attended few years back, to present the better picture of me and of my country. If you can meet one person of your choice, dead or alive, known or not, who would this be? My late eldest brother.