Steel-Willed Resolve

Every year, our country gives birth to certain people who grow up not only to raise their families but also to rise. They rise above their circumstances to inspire a million others. Today, I will tell you about two such people who inspire me. These stories are of people who have been nominated for JSW Will of Steel awards.

The first beacon of hope is Dr. Debal Deb. He has spent over twenty years in the difficult and unstable areas of eastern India, helping farmers stay true to their roots. Dr. Deb's cause is something nobody would ever have thought of. It doesn't even remotely come across as vital. But herein lies the crux of his struggle. He has worked with several farmers to conserve traditional seeds. His work is time consuming, and requires a lot of patience and long hours of field exposure to educate the farmers about the importance of indigenous varieties of seeds. In India, we have a crisis of traditional varieties of seeds due to the rampant cultivation of crops which are widely consumed or yield the best produce. Many farms still have cash crops as a backup.

Source: willofsteel.in/home/story/117

Dr. Deb's relentless efforts have saved nine hundred and twenty varieties of rice in in West Bengal and Odisha alone! His creative and unique approach is impressive and inspiring. He truly knows that India can progress only when the poorest farmers understand what they are growing and how they should be growing it.

The second story is that of Arunima Sinha, a volleyball player of national level. She inspires me for more reasons than one. She is an amputee who climbed Mount Everest! It is my dream to summit the tallest peak of the world once in my lifetime. That peak is extreme not just in its height but also in its harsh conditions - the wind, the temperatures that go up to minus seventy degrees Celsius, the low concentration of oxygen which takes your blood-oxygen level to about 40 (normal level is above 94). Such conditions are enough to kill the fittest of people. To survive the Everest, one needs plenty of endurance, excellent levels of fitness and nutrition, and several days of acclimatization.

Source: willofsteel.in/home/story/69

All of these challenges increase in intensity when your left leg is amputated. Arunima first showed her courage when she fought with the goons who were trying to snatch her chain. Then again when the robbers threw her out of the train. I salute such women who have the strong will to fight for what is right and rise despite all odds. I sincerely hope we all find that will of steel in us. It is an important ingredient in getting anything done, especially when our circumstances are unstable.

I’m voting for Dr. Debal Deb and Arunima Sinha’s #WillOfSteel and blogging on BlogAdda to help them get felicitated and eventually enabled by JSW.