Success shouldn't be measured by the position that one has reached in life but by the obstacles, they have overcome. This perfectly imbibes the journey of Ashutosh Sharma, a resident of Gurugram, who despite suffering from hearing and speech impairment, overcame challenges and went on to become Mr India Plus in 2021.
While Ashutosh has aced both academic and co-curricular grounds, his path to success was never an easy one. Growing up with any sort of impairment can be tough but he never allowed these obstacles to slow him down and always emerged triumphant in each conquest.
In an exclusive chat with ANI, the 29-year-old man from Gurugram delved into his journey of overcoming adversities and rising above them.
Born in 1992, though Ashutosh came into this world in a completely healthy form, it was only after some time that his parent's realised that their child suffered from auditory and speech impairment. Following this Ashutosh's mother sacrificed her career to build his life.
"My parents were very happy as I was their first child and seemed to be a happy and healthy baby. It was only after I completed one year of age that my parents found out about my hearing and speaking problem. At that time, my mother was working as an economics lecturer. She left the job so that she could take proper care of me. For my treatment and speech enhancement therapy, my parents used to take me to Ganga Ram Hospital daily which used to be 35 KM away from my home," he stated, adding, "I was my parent's only focus of life that they followed more religiously than God at times!"
Usually, children with such impairments are sent to special schools, but determined to give their child a normal life, his parents' relentless efforts made his schooling possible in a normal education system, and he got into Delhi Public School, Maruti Kunj, Gurugram. There too life had a different set of challenges stacked up.
"During my schooling, I have struggled a lot due to some teachers who always urged my parents to put me in a special school where I would be around the so-called more people like me and it would be easier for me to study. It was as if they were reluctant to take the responsibility of going an extra mile with me."
He believes that "the real meaning of collective conscience would be the day when people meet people like me with no other expressions or emotions than a normal counterpart."
"I would not say it was easy at any point in time, but it certainly was enjoyable with this mindset. Sometimes I won, the other times I learned, but never felt that any impairment could prove me weaker."
While pursuing his master's at IIM Lucknow, Ashutosh got a chance to delve into his passion for drama and the fashion industry when he joined the institute's dramatics club.
"I was always fascinated by the hardworking people in this field. Being impaired in speech, expressions were my only tool to portray this interest of mine to people. I worked on this aspect over the years and fortunately, IIM Lucknow provided me with the platform."
For Ashutosh, winning the Mr India Plus 2021 title was not just a win but a victory over several challenges. During the course of the competition, he had doubts if he was good enough but each time he managed to get ahead, believing that nothing is impossible.
"At first thought, it all seemed impossible that how will I be competing with 'normal' people in a competition where it is all about expressing yourself at every stage. A lot of times lows came in the sense that I challenged myself by asking, am I good enough? and every time I managed my balance believing that nothing is impossible, and this is what I feel was needed."
During the pageant's 'Talent Session', Ashutosh emotionally moved the judges and audiences with his silent acting to present the problems and traumas of a farmer's life, leading him to win the Mr India Plus title on February 28, 2021. Following that on March 27, 2022, he also got an opportunity to walk for a runway show at FDCI x Lakme Fashion Week, where Bollywood actor Neha Dhupia was the showstopper.
Ashutosh has stretched his limitations to become his strengths and has never let them daunt him. His journey has been all about turning challenges into opportunities. And for people, who feel stuck pondering over what they don't have rather than what can be achieved, he has a message, "It's about the first steps, take small daily steps to move towards your goal, and you will see that one day one step at a time you have achieved what you always wished for. So I would say just start small and continue."
While Ashutosh already has many accolades to his name, there is much glory awaiting him in the future.
( With inputs from ANI )
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