President Droupadi Murmu presents Lt Col C Dwarakesh with the National Award for Persons with Disabilities on Wednesday
PUNE: A basketball match at a military station in 2014 was one of the last things Lt Col C Dwarakesh saw before an accident left him blind. He would spend the next eight months in hospital, healing and adjusting to life without eyesight while his mind envisioned new possibilities.On Wednesday, President Droupadi Murmu presented the 36-year-old with the National Award for Persons with Disabilities, recognising an Army career that even disability couldn’t cut short, and one that now includes a world record in para shooting.Lt Col Dwarakesh is the first officer of the Indian armed forces to continue in active service despite total blindness. It’s an achievement made possible by the derring-do of a young officer who never gave up on himself despite no precedent.“As an Army officer, I was trained to have conviction, courage, willpower and tenacity. But blindness is an impediment I couldn’t have prepared for,” Lt Col Dwarakesh told TOI from Delhi. “I overcame this hurdle through academics and technology, clearing multiple competitive exams along the way. I now research para sports, especially for people living with blindness. I converted my disability into a power and found ways to express the way those with vision do. This mindset has helped me reach new heights.”Supported by AI tools and assistive technology, Dwarakesh performs his responsibilities with the same proficiency and precision as his colleagues. In paralympic sports, he is a national champion in swimming and shooting, ranked world No. 3 in the 10m air rifle event. His most recent achievement was a world record score of 624.6 at the Shooting World Cup in the UAE this Oct. As part of the Indian para shooting team, he trains at Army Marksmanship Unit in Mahou.Dwarakesh, who joined the Army in 2009, terms the national award a “full-circle moment”. “I remember being granted commission by the President,” he said. “And to be receiving an award from the President 16 years later for something that redefined me, that’s quite something.”The officer, a native of TN, has also qualified for the UGC NET, making him one of the few visually impaired academicians in management, human resources, labour law, and sports research.
