New Delhi: A majority of people with physical disability feel dejected and lose hopes but there are some who refuse to buckle and conquer all odds to set an example for others.
BHEL engineer Ajay Kumar Kochiri is a shining example of how a person can overcome treacherous terrains of destiny and come across as a champion with the help of rock-like determination and indomitable will .
Giving hope to millions of disabled people across the world, Ajay Kumar Kochiri, a Senior Engineer working with BHEL, successfully crossed all speed-breakers in life to win ‘Best Employee of the Year, 2015' award under the ‘National Award for the Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities' program.
He has been conferred with the award in the category of Hearing Impairment. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley presented the prestigious award to Hyderabad-based Kochiri. Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment, Shri Thaawar Chand Gehlot also attended the award ceremony in Delhi.
Kochiri's achievement is a great motivation for the people suffering from disabilities.
63 million people in India suffer from disabling hearing loss. Apart from functional and social impact, disabling hearing loss also has a significant economic impact on countries due to unemployability of the hearing impaired people.
Unlike many people, Kochiri was not born with the disability. He was first diagnosed with hearing loss when he was in school. He gradually kept losing his hearing further till he reached the stage of profound deafness in his 20s.
Kochiri struggled tremendously to overcome all odds and pursued his M. Tech. at the IIT, Guwahati.
For the people living with a hearing disability, professional development becomes quite a struggle. But Kochiri decided to fight back and got acoustic implants.
“As always, when I joined BHEL, my dream was to excel at my workplace as well. Hence, I decided to go for Cochlear implants. My hearing is almost as good as normal now and after a year with the implants, I have achieved my dream,” Kochiri said after receiving the award.
“I highly appreciate the initiative taken by the Government of India to recognize the efforts of disabled persons to contribute as much towards the growth of the country as any other person can,” he said.
On personal front, Kochiri is happily married and has a 2.5 year-old son. Kochiri is not only able to enjoy conversing with his at home or with his colleagues at work, but he has also rekindled his childhood passion for jazz drumming.
Maker of Hybrid electro-acoustic implant Cochlear said, “Kochiri was fitted with bilateral Cochlear implants in April 2014 and since then has managed to overcome most of the challenges associated with his hearing disability.”
After struggling with hearing aids for over a decade, Kochiri was implanted with bilateral (both ears) acoustic implants in Hyderabad by senior ENT Surgeon Dr. Janardhan Jagini.
