Those of us who are very ordinary lose heart over the smallest things; after failing once or twice at something, we think, ‘I am good for nothing.’ But there is no logic behind such despair, for we have hands, feet, eyes, a brain and much more to work with. Yet there were many people who did not have full physical ability — who were, in one way or another, disabled — and who still fought with all their might to make themselves a success, and succeeded in the end. Today we will learn about a few such successful people.
Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616): Cervantes was a famous Spanish writer, world-renowned for the story ‘Don Quixote.’ He lost a hand in a war, but that did not halt his creative work; despite having only one hand, he went on to write many stories and novels.
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827): People still remember Beethoven as one of the world’s great musicians, a composer of unimaginable melodies. Yet in 1817 he became completely deaf. How a man with a hearing impairment could create such music is something that still fills people with wonder. It is said that Beethoven composed from the heart — perhaps which is why he was able to create immortal music without hearing it with his own ears.
Louis Braille (1809-1852): Braille was blind, but he did not believe that study was impossible for the blind. So he invented a method by which the visually impaired could read by touching with their fingers — the system known as Braille.
Sarah Bernhardt (1844-1923): Sarah Bernhardt was a French actress. She lost a leg in an accident, but she did not bid farewell to the world of acting because of it, going on to act with distinction until her death.
Thomas Alva Edison (1847-1931): Edison was one of the greatest scientists of all time. As a boy, while working with acid in a railway carriage, a fire broke out in the carriage; an enraged guard slapped him, and as a result he became deaf and lost his hearing forever. Even after such a great loss, he carried on his research on the strength of his self-belief and went on to make more than 200 inventions, including the electric light, the cinema projector and the gramophone.
Helen Keller (1880-1968): There is hardly an educated person who does not know the name of Helen Keller, whose full name was Helen Adams Keller. She could neither see nor hear. Despite being blind and deaf, she earned a bachelor’s degree at the age of 24 and later a doctorate. Helen Keller is a shining example of the indomitable strength of mind it takes to overcome two disabilities at once. She was a celebrated writer, social worker and political figure, and fought all her life for the rights of disabled children. She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882-1945): Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected president of the United States four times. Yet he was a polio patient who had to spend much of his life in a wheelchair. The illness, however, could not stand in the way of his running the state; on the strength of his self-belief, he overcame every obstacle.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report