Malvika didn’t just survive, she re-built her life in such a manner that now she is an inspiration to everyone.

Malavika Iyer lost both her hands after a tragic accident when she was just 13. On May 26, 2002, a 13-year-old Malvika decided to fix her torn pair of jeans by sticking the edge with glue. In search of a blunt object, she ventured into the garage of her Bikaner home. When she found the object she thought it would work, Malvika hurried with it to her room. Little did she know, it was an explosive grenade. The family was unaware that an ammunition depot in the region had exploded months ago, and bomb pieces lay scattered in numerous pieces of the area. The moment Malvika hit the grenade on the fabric, it exploded. Malvika lost both her hands in the explosion and sustained severe injuries to her legs including paralysis of the nerves. For the first 6 months, she couldn’t walk and was confined to a wheelchair.

After initially being confined to a wheelchair, she learned how to walk again and use a pair of prosthetic hands. She finished her class 10 with the help of a writer, and went on to achieve a state rank, and even completed her Ph.D. Ms. Iyer proved that nothing is impossible if one puts their mind to it. One very significant factor which helped her in her recovery was self-love. She realized that until you loved and celebrated your life you would never get over the insecurities which surround any disability, be it physical or mental.

Malvika has given many TEDx talks, which were the beginning of many speeches. She was invited to the UN Headquarters and even to Co-Chair the World Economic Forum’s India Economic Summit in New Delhi.

Malvika Iyer admits and accepts that her life has been a roller coaster ride, full of ups and downs, and sudden twists and turns. She now stands up for people with disabilities and wants to change the way normal people look at the differently-abled ones. She believes in the philosophy that being yourself is the greatest power you can have. What you look like or what you lack, doesn’t change that. A bad phase or a disability is just a chapter in your book, it is not the entire story. The only person you can write your happily ever after is .. YOU.

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