Simarpreet defies disability to be among Top 30 Under 30 for HT Youth Forum 2017
In the run-up to its sixth edition of Top 30 under 30, Hindustan Times profiles 30 young achievers who will be felicitated at its flagship event on May 26. They are from fields ranging from the forces, academics and art to entertainment and sports. Among them is Simarpreet Singh Mamik.
Engineering excellence: Simarpreet Singh Mamik, 22, Chandigarh
A student of Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS), Pilani, Simarpreet was cruising along smoothly in life when a road accident threw his life upside down. The accident not only damaged Simarpreet’s spine but also paralysed him waist down. Any other person could have drowned in self pity but this young engineer carried on without a pause and went on to ace the Common Admission Test 2016 with a percentile score of 99.97. Today he is all set to join Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.
Secret sauce: Persistence. Simarpreet says persistence is his biggest strength and it not only helped him in getting over his disability but also in preparing for CAT. “Initially, I was dumbfounded by the sudden change in the pace of my life. I tried to deal with it by keeping myself busy with college work and physiotherapy. Whatever time I was left with, I would spend in solving mathematics problems and puzzles. which came in very handy when I finally took the CAT exam.”
Inspiration: “My family, it’s a big one, and my friends. I’m inspired by people on a daily basis. People have a certain charm about them that seduces you into looking at them and be inspired by the many things about their personality. But there are two Jewish gentlemen, Dr. Richard Feynman and Alain de Botton, whose manner of thinking and approaching life has always been awe-inspiring to me.”
Challenges faced by India: It will come as no surprise that lack of wheelchair accessible infrastructure in the country restricts many persons with disabilities in exploring essential opportunities like education and jobs. Our public transport can still not accommodate wheelchairs.
Uplifting feature: “I have experienced the warmth of Indians in general. My tryst with wheelchair has definitely challenged my cynical view about India and Indians. No matter where I am, people go out of their way to help. I’m grateful to a whole lot of people for that.”
The road ahead: “I aspire to become an economist and if I gain enough competence and experience, I would love to be part of the economic think-tank of India some day.”
As an agent of change: The impact a person has on society is a function of their values, skills and sincerity. All of these traits are developed continuously over a person’s lifespan. I will try to direct them in a way that I can make a difference.”
By the way: Simarpreet enjoys solving puzzles, reading physics, philosophy and medicine, besides learning new things.
To know about the other achievers click here
