A wish to touch many lives

One can move mountains if he or she sets his heart on it. Dr Rajdeep Manwani is the perfect example of this. 

The Bangalore-based academician, trainer, motivational speaker and quizmaster par excellence has had 100 per cent visual impairment since the age of 13. 

Yet he hasn’t let any obstacle come in his way of success. 

Not only is he a triple graduate and a PhD holder, he has touched the lives of thousands of people with his power-packed motivational talks. 

In fact, his contributions to the society were acknowledged on a national level when he bagged the National Award for ‘Role Model for Empowerment of Persons with Disability’ from President Pranab Mukherjee in New Delhi during the ‘World Disability Week’ in December. 

Rajdeep, who get a standing ovation almost every time he goes on stage, spoke to Metrolife on his journey so far and aspirations. 

“It was truly a great honour to be the chosen one from a population of 120 crore. It was a really nice and satisfying experience. Though I couldn’t meet the President for a long time, I shared a little bit of my experiences with him,” he recalls. 

On being asked about the secret behind his positivity, he says, “It’s just the fact that I can touch more lives.” 

A lecturer in the department of commerce at Sri Bhagawan Mahaveer Jain College, Rajdeep says that speaking has always been a part of his life. 

“I speak in class and am also an active part of Toastmasters,” he notes.   

Speaking of Toastmasters, the eloquent speaker has won several debates and was adjudged the best speaker in the International Taped Speech Competition held by the Toastmasters International in 2008. 

He was also the recipient of Distinguished Toastmaster, the highest award in Toastmasters International.

Apart from teaching, giving motivational talks, conducting quizzes and workshops to name a few, Rajdeep also constantly works for the cause of the blind. 

He has been associated with the National Association for the Blind and National Federation of the Blind and is also actively involved with Mitra Jyothi, a charitable trust for the visually impaired. 

Ask him if life is better for the visually impaired today and he notes, “Technology has brightened many lives. Today, there are a lot more jobs for the visually impaired than there were when I finished BCom. Thanks to the software ‘JAWS’, many visually impaired people are placed in companies like Oracle and IBM.” 

On being asked about the challenges he faces, he says that not being able to see the reactions of his audience is the only one he faces. 

“I wish I could see and guess the feedback of the audience. But that’s why I try and make my speeches so good that no one has much to point out,” he smiles. One of his dreams is to become an international motivational speaker. 

“I’d love to make a difference in as many lives as possible. There are certain people 

who become visually impaired later in life. Then there are some who feel that arts is the only course that they can pursue. Giving such people a ray of hope is all that I want to do,” he sums up.