“It’s hard to beat a person who never gives up”. I identify this quote with a man, who, despite having an irreversible brain condition has proved to the world that, no matter how tough life is, never give up.
Mr. Riitesh Sinha is affected by quadriplegic Cerebral Palsy, a condition wherein a part of either the left or the right brain remains dysfunctional and the person has no control over his body movements.
As children, we all dream of going to school to study, play and participate in activities. But as a young boy, he was denied admission to schools, he was deprived of the right to education because of his physical condition.
Overcoming hurdles and challenges
Undeterred by many refusals in schools in his town, he worked towards the goal of doing something big. After many rejections, finally, in 1980, a convent school in Karnal was obliged to admit him with many rules. Apart from his studies, he had a keen interest in many extracurricular activities. In one such school function, he was made to stand still as a Banyan tree. He completed his schooling and graduated in Genetics studies from a college in Karnal. He continued his further studies through correspondence courses. At every step of his life, he had to face many challenges. Getting a job became a challenge. Before his career could take off, he was once again refused a job by an NGO, which also worked for people with Cerebral Palsy. His father was hopeful that the NGO would consider him for the job, but for them it was an unthinkable proposition, to employ a person, with such a challenge. Mr. Riitesh Sinha’s self-determination was not a challenge, his willpower and strength were unshakable, and his wish to help people with similar challenges kept him going.
Instead of doing a job, he started his computer training institute which has provided training to more than 1000 people, who have built strong careers in the IT industry. The center is affiliated with NIOS, Delhi. The institute was a result of all the hurdles he faced in getting the education and getting rejected in many job interviews. He wanted to create awareness in public about the capabilities and potential of people with cerebral palsy.
Mr. Riitesh Sinha, is multi-talented, with multiple educational qualifications. His passion has won the heart of all the people who look up to him and regard him as an excellent teacher. Mr. Sinha, is an Author, App developer, Corona warrior, Poet, Naturopath, Creative innovator, Consummate student, and Model employee. Despite all the physical challenges, Mr. Sinha has completed B Sc (Genetics), PGDCA, CIC, MIT, Homeopathy Elementary course, Diploma in Naturopathy, and also Diploma in Ayurvedic Acupressure. He has created his blog – riitesh.blogspot.com. He shares descriptions of alternative healing techniques, focusing mainly on people with Cerebral Palsy. 40 lakh people in India will be benefitted from his work on alternative therapies. No medicine can cure this condition.
The journey from dependency to being self-independent
Mr. Sinha has studied and designed therapies and programs to reduce the day-to-day difficulties faced by them. This includes a novel, self-designed foot-operated tricycle for outdoor mobility. This solution, of dependency to being self-independent is commendable. He developed a new Mudra (hand gesture) and pencil-holding technique, which are like magic wands for them. Wearing clothes that normally are not a challenge is one of the most difficult tasks for such people. Keeping this in mind, he also designed adaptive clothing to make life easy for them. The smallest day-to-day routine work was a big challenge but Mr. Riitesh wanted to bring in solutions that could ease their living and which would also reduce their dependency on family and friends. To create awareness about cerebral palsy among the general public, he has also developed an Android app called Alternative Therapies. It is mainly for parents and caretakers and also for the larger community. His work has been appreciated by the India book of records for designing and developing the app. He wants people to understand this condition and the challenges they face.
Empowerment through Awareness
In today’s high-speed world, where people have no time and act differently towards a certain segment of people, he wants to create a more inclusive environment for people with cerebral palsy. Mr. Riitesh has written a Cerebral Palsy Anthem both in Hindi and English. Understanding Cerebral Palsy has been authored by him. The amount of work he has been doing for his fellow people is unimaginable. He works tirelessly for the cause of disability awareness and empowerment by leading a social media group named Capable Person’s Group. He is also a Corona Warrior. The poems and Haikus written by him on his social media platform are a way to help people with Cerebral Palsy to develop immunity against Corona Virus. His incredible work has been awarded by many Government organizations and NGOs. In 2012, he was awarded Cavinkare Ability Award by Ability Foundation, Chennai. In 2016, under the Digital India Initiative, he was selected by Intel and thebetterindia.com for their digital India Campaign. He was also awarded ADAPT Activism Award by ADAP Mumbai in 2016. Awards and accolades kept coming in for all the relentless work he was doing. In 2021, he was awarded Haryana Divyang Ratna Puruskar Avam Baal Upvan Trust, Kaithal. In 2021, he was selected by Swarga Foundation Coimbatore for their 2022 Calendar.
Redefining Disability
With his life and thoughts, he has redefined that Disabled stands for Distinctly Abled and CP stands for Capable Person and not Cerebral Palsy. This is a hope to many such people. Mr. Ritesh has turned his own condition into motivation for his fellow friends. All his work is a step to ease the difficulties.
He is the shining star who has vowed to give light and life to his people.
Our Storyteller: Chanda Maken 
Work hard, dream big, and never give up. That is Chanda; she is a dreamer, go-getter, creative, and very ambitious. She loves to live each second of her life to the fullest. She is a people person and also loves to travel and explore. Her energy and family are her strengths.
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