The Inspiring Story Of Differently-Abled Jaskaran Singh Who scored 99% in CAT, and Secured Admission at IIM Bangalore

When a boy named Jaskaran Singh from Delhi secured admission to Indian Institute of Management (IIM-B), Bangalore just two days ago, one person was super proud of his achievement - Mr Vaidyanathan Singararaman.

It was a Monday, and we were busy kick starting another new week, but Mr Singararaman wanted the world to stop and take notice of this boy. He took to his Facebook page to narrate what a remarkable day it was. One of hope, one of love and one to take inspiration from..

He told us - Jaskaran, a student with Spinal Cord Injury at the cervical level, had become the first of his kind to make way into the Post Graduate Diploma in Business Management at one of the IIMs in the country. Basically, he is now an MBA student at IIM Bangalore.

For a person who is paralysed neck down (a quadriplegic technically saying), one who can barely move his fingers and uses a custom made wireless keypad at work, it’s unbelievable that Jaskaran scored a whopping 99.04 per cent in CAT. We know what you are wondering... He wrote the exam with the help of a scribe.

“This is an absolutely remarkable effort considering that CAT Organisers (IIM-A this year) did not accede to any of his essential requests,” Mr Singararaman’s Facebook post read.

It’s not his injury, but his determination to fight against all odds and emerge as the winner that makes courageous people like him extremely SPECIAL for all of us. We cannot say it has been easy for Jaskaran to get to where he is today, we probably cannot even imagine the trials and tribulations in his life. But, things would have been little more difficult for him despite having cracked the entrance, had it not been for this man who fought the system 16 years back.

We are talking of Mr Singararaman, the one who wrote the Facebook post on Jaskaran on Monday. He himself suffered a Spinal Cord Injury back in 1990 and was refused readmission by IIM Bangalore.

(Right: Dr Suranjan with Mr Singararaman)
"It took the efforts of Dr Suranjan Bhattacharji and my friends led by Elango Thambiah to change the mind of the management. IIM-B now is a leader in high quality access thanks to efforts spearheaded by Prof Rishikesha Krishnan, who is now the Director of IIM Indore," he says.

If you are thinking about Mr Suranjan Bhattacharji, he is who changed minds in the college on denial of Mr Singararaman's readmission. A very highly regarded person in the top medicine-related places across the world, Mr Singararaman says Bhattacharji has made difference to several thousands of physically challenged persons across India. Now retired, he has gone to try and lift healthcare in a remote part of Orissa near the Niyamgiri Hills.

It was probably this collective effort 16 years ago, that a deserving candidate today is not denied admission to an IIM on account of his/her health. Jaskaran, however, has done what many of us cannot do with our hands and feet fully functional. He is an inspiration for everyone. One person who he couldn't have done this without is - Divya Parashar, a Clinical Psychologist at Indian Spinal Injuries Centre.

Call it a coincidence, but I was sitting with Mr Vipul Rastogi - a Behavioural Neurology and Psychiatry specialist at Medanta Hospital - today, and he pointed out to me the need for more Psychologists in our country. I relate it to this story, even though he spoke to me generally. He said: “We need more psychologists who can attend to patients suffering from such health problems. The problem is we don’t have enough psychologists, and when we refer our patients to consult them, patients refuse citing reasons that they are either busy and would prefer to have medicines prescribed or it’s an expensive deal for them. We need more such doctors who can hand hold such patients in their hour of need.”

It seems Divya has set the example for more medical students to become Psychologists and make a difference. She played perhaps the most important role in Jaskaran’s life after his spinal cord injury in a road accident in which he lost his entire family.

More power to you, doctor!

As for Jaskaran, you my friend, have given a nation it’s moment of pride.