Bhupendra Tripathi, the RBI ombudsman in Ahmedabad, is a powerhouse of positivity who inspires hope in everyone he comes into contact with. Sadly, Tripathi, 41, lost his sight following a severe paralytic attack approximately ten years ago, so he is unable to see the impact his words cause on other people.
While working as a successful IT professional in a leading IT company for more than 8 years, Tripathi’s world gradually turned black. Tripathi was once Gujarat’s best CBSE student and an IT engineer. When Tripathi had a paralytic attack in 2012, his employer gave him a significant opportunity to work abroad.
“During medical tests it was found that I have cancer in my spine. I underwent chemotherapy and radiation treatment for over a year and a miracle happened. I recovered and started living a normal life, but the challenges continued. My vision started getting blurry and after a few weeks I could not even see light,” Tripathi said.
Others could have become resentful, but Tripathi handled it better; he learnt Braille and smiled at life. Tripathi developed computer technology skills while adjusting to his blindness, and life rewarded him for his positive outlook.
He currently holds the uncommon distinction of being RBI Gujarat’s first and only blind employee in addition to being the assistant general manager. Tripathi, a native of Gandhinagar, moulded his life around his impairment from learning Braille to using computer programmes that help the visually impaired and did not back down from a challenge. He also studied for competitive tests.
“I passed eight different competitive exams in a year and finally cleared the recruitment test of RBI for assistant manager too. I was among the 110 successful candidates who cleared the exam out of the 5 lakh aspirants across the country,” said Tripathi who cleared the test on a reserved seat for the visually impaired.
Tripathi topped his batch as an outstanding performer in the training. He does all the work like a normal person in the office and goes through files using technology that converts text into audio after scanning. “Along with my routine work I share my life experiences with people to motivate them. I try to encourage people that we should not fear being tested,” he added.
Tripathi was honoured by the city’s Andhajan Shikshan Mandal, a school for visually impaired pupils, on Wednesday as part of World Braille Day. “We have developed an artificial climbing wall for blind students in school and are training students on use of mobile phones for exams. People like Tripathi inspire us further,” said Anand Chokhawala, president of ASM.
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