Hyd youth beats blindness to become CA

Hyd youth beats blindness to become CA

The 23-Yr-Old, Who Lost His Vision At The Age Of 11, Is First In India To Achieve The Feat

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Hyderabad:In a rare show of courage and zeal, a 23-year-old Hyderabadi youth, who lost his vision completely at the age of 11, has cleared this year’s chartered accountant exams to become the first-ever visually challenged person to achieve this feat in the country.
    J Rajasekhar cleared the CA exam, the results of which were announced on Monday in just his second attempt, a Herculean task even for any normal and healthy person of his age.
    Blessed with a sharp brain and aided by the latest software for the visually challenged, Rajashekhar made relentless efforts for five years to reach his goal.
    “There were many, including my mother, who thought that it was impossible for a person like me to clear the examination but I never felt discouraged,” said Rajsekhar, who learnt to do mental math at an early age.
    “I used to study for hours at a stretch for the exams not just to clear it but also to prove that a visually challenged can accomplish whatever he wants,” he added.
    He is now being flooded with congratulatory messages from not just his family or friends but also from his peers who see in him their role model.
    After taking the CA entrance examination, Rajasekhar pursued a degree in Bachelor of Commerce through long distance mode while working at a CA firm.
    “During these three years, I used to try and understand accounts and auditing and record them in my digital voice recorder to keep on listening to them,” he said.
    “I would do the same with my soft copy of notes given to me by my coaching centre and try and calculate as much as possible in my brain” he added.
    Rajashekhar was provided with a volunteer to write the final examination, which included six theory and two practical subjects.
    He comes from an agriculture family from Guntur and was diagnosed with brain tumour when he was in school which eventually affected his optic nerve leaving him completely blind.
    “I want to start my own CA firm and also travel,” says Rajashekhar. “For those like me who want to become chartered accountants, I will some day start a training institute. If I can even help and inspire a few, I would be very happty.”
    The management of Devnar School for the Blind which funded his education and accommodation, appealed to people not to discriminate but encourage the visually challenged to achieve their goal.
    “Now there are good opportunities for the blind in private as well as government sector. One should not treat them as a burden but provide them with equal rights so that they can contribute to society and the country in their own way,” said Saibaba Goud, founder of Devnar School for the Blind.