New brave world
Meet these bravehearts. They are strong in spirit and mind. They have beaten physical challenges to emerge winners. When the world told them to bury their hopes and be apologetic for what they were, they chose instead to smilingly demonstrate their abilities and talents. Their award-winning efforts in various fields from art and culture to information technology and from accounts to sports, have proved that they have left little unexplored and there are no goals they cannot achieve. Shunning the path of self-pity, they have embarked on a journey to fulfil their aspirations. They have dared to dream and worked towards their dreams. They have chosen to live their lives with dignity and courage. Life has dealt them a hand that might seem less than fair but they have come up trumps. They have proved that they have special abilities in spite of the world calling them “people with disabilities”.

Gaurav Sood meets 12-year-old Janarthanan, who has triumphed over amputations to excel in painting; Sunita Dogra, who has not let her spinal deformity come in the way of her love for music; polio-affected Rajinder Singh Rahelu, whose weight-lifting feats have earned him the title of Strongest Man of India; and others who are a source of strength and inspiration to all.

Tryst with the tabla
This NRI teenager taps magic with his fingers. Minna Zutshi chats up Rohan Bhogal, the youngest artiste at the recently held Harballabh Sangeet Sammelan in Jalandhar.
Hot, peppy numbers may well be passé. At least for Master Rohan Bhogal, the youngest performer at the 129th Shree Baba Harballabh Sangeet Sammelan, a musical festival with the unbroken tradition of being organised annually at Jalandhar for the past 128 years.