Will power overcomes the limitations of disability

Gurugram: Gurugram celebrated its students who excelled academically by scoring nearly cent per cent marks in the Class 10 board exams. Such was the dominance of the city that not only the top position but even the second and third positions were secured by the students of the city. The most special news, however, came from Anushka Panda who was among the two toppers at all India levels in the specially-abled category. The 14-year-old student who is the student of Suncity school in Gurugram scored 489/500. She shared her position with Sanya Gandhi from Delhi-NCR. Sanya belongs to Ghaziabad.

Anushka suffers from Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), a genetic disease that robs people of physical strength by affecting the motor nerve cells in the spinal cord, affecting the ability to walk. Being wheelchair- bound did not prevent her from chasing her dreams of becoming a software engineer and made her more resilient. Her resolve was further supported by the education board and her school that provided her with special infrastructure during her preparation for the main examinations. "I am thrilled, my hard work has paid off. It is really a big moment for me. I was really nervous before the results," an elated Anushka said.

Just like Anuska, Sanya Gandhi who is 90 per cent emotionally impaired never prevented herself from getting distracted from the limitations. "I want to just emphasise that it is important that you utilise your time well and never let your focus waver," said Sanya.