Malathi Holla
 Malathi Holla was born in a small village called Kundapur, in
Udupi region, in Karnataka. She was an active child like anyone else of her age. But she had a serious attack of polio with severe fever when she was one-and-a-half years old. It resulted in her losing all senses below her neck which was all the time shaking.
The parents, who belonged to a lower middle-class family, did not have much financial resources. But they tried all possible measures to save their daughter from the evil hands of
polio but could not succeed. Any amount of medical treatment could not help her regaining her normal health.
But the electric shock treatment given at the age of three gave her some movement. So the parents brought her to Chennai where there was good treatment for less cost given at the hospital at Andhra Mahila Sabha at Adyar. Though Malathi had wanted to go to school she could not do so as she needed continuous treatment. More so as the Andhra Mahila Sabha ran a small school for their
polio patients.
Malathi started attending the school within the hospital premises. The servant maids of the hospital would carry her to the classes where all the books would be kept for the use of the children. This was her initial education in Chennai.
This made her learn more languages. As the hospital and school were run by Telugu people, she learnt Telugu. Being a Kannadiga by birth, she knew to speak in Kannada. As she was in Tamil Nadu, she learnt Tamil also. Slowly she learnt English too. For 14 continuous years she stayed in the Andhra Mahila Sabha hospital which shaped not only her body but also her mind.
The doctors were trying their best to revive her physical movements through surgery and medicines. She underwent 27 surgeries out of which 11 were conducted in Chennai and the rest in
Bangalore. Though there were very little changes in her body, Malathi became a strong-willed person knowing the realities of life.
During this period, she passed her school final examinations. She read in newspapers and magazines about the games and sports conducted for the
physically-handicapped. Some of the games attracted her attention and she thought of pursuing them.
There were throwing shot put and javelin throwing from a sitting position, wheelchair running and cycling competitions. She was undergoing regular
physiotherapy and other exercises and making herself fit, though there were no movements below her hip. Her hands became active and she utilised them well for her success.
In the meantime, she continued her studies and passed her degree examination. She developed her mental strength also and had the desire to achieve something different. Though her legs were useless, she utilised her hands to the maximum. When she came to know about the sports competitions to be held for the physically-handicapped in Bangalore in 1975, she participated in it for the first time.
 She tirelessly practised for the competitions and reaped the harvest. She bagged two gold medals in Bangalore. Her journey of winning gold continued in Chennai, Madurai, Calcutta, Mumbai, Delhi and other places where competitions were held for the disabled.
She regularly won gold medals, if not silver or bronze. Her wheelchair has gone to almost almost all parts of Tamil Nadu in these 25 years. Malathi was not satisfied with her success in India. She wanted to take her flag to the international level. So she attempted to achieve that goal.
In 1979 she made her way to Denmark to participate at the international
level and won four gold medals for India. Her journey was extended to Australia, Spain, China, Thailand, South Korea and other countries and she collected as many golds as possible in her endeavours.
She was looked at with wonder by the rest of the world. She was acclaimed as a great sportswoman who was able to face challenges successfully even though she was motionless below her hip. She sat on her wheelchair with two helping sticks and faced the world and made her name.
She narrated an unforgettable incident in her life with tears in her eyes. It happened in 1981 at Ahmedabad. It was a sports competition for the physically-handicapped at the national level. Malathi gave her name for wheelchair cycle competition for women. When the time came for the event, the organisers found that no one else other than Malathi had given name for that event.
So they cancelled the event. Malathi was very much upset over the cancellation. Then to encourage her, the organisers asked her whether she could participate in the men's wheelchair cycle competition. It was a shock to her and she was feeling a little uneasy to compete with men who were selected from various parts of India.
She thought about the feelings and reactions of the onlookers if she lost the game. Perhaps, it might have been a great insult too for women. But she accepted the offer and joined the competition. When she heard the whistle sound for the start of the game, she moved her wheelchair with all vigour and strength and just flew.
Her cycle ran with all speed and before she could realise what was happening, she reached the finishing point ahead of all other men competitors, securing first place. It was just amazing and no one could believe their eyes that the lone woman participant had won against the strong men in the contest.
All women who had gathered there came running to Malathi and congratulated her whole-heartedly. They shook hands with her. That gave her enormous joy than the gold medal she won for the race. She became the centre of attraction and all the newspapers flashed her success in the front pages.
It was a great success for Malathi and her morale was highly boosted. More and more success followed. She slowly started limping with the help of the two sticks. She won medals by participating in javelin and shot put throws, running and cycling in wheelchair, playing badminton from the wheelchair, etc.
On the whole, she has collected 159 gold, 26 silver and five bronze medals in various competitions. She stands first as a handicapped capturing maximum gold medals in sports competitions. The Indian government honoured this able woman with a disabled body by conferring the Arjuna Award in 1996.
This was a great recognition for Malathi and her joy knew no bounds when she received the award from the hands of President Shankar Dayal Sharma. In another five years she was awarded the Padmasri by President K R Narayanan in 2001.
She has received many honours and awards from many organisations and other states. She was awarded some international honours too. The K K Birla Foundation chose her for an award in 1995. The Cambridge University at London honoured her as the best woman of the world in 1999.
The Human Life Centre in USA acclaimed Malathi as the Best Woman in the same year. She was unique in receiving the Rajotvasa Award, Prathiba Sri Award, Margadharsi Award, Prathiba Ratna Award, Best Handicapped Sports Woman Award, Best Citizen Award and many more from various quarters.
The latest achievement of Malathi is getting three gold medals in shot put, discus, and javelin throws in August 2003 in England at the international sports competitions for the physically handicapped. She started her career as a clerk in Syndicate Bank which has been encouraging her sports activities.
It also feels it an honour to have Malathi Holla in the rolls as she brought laurels as its employee. She was gradually promoted and today she is a senior officer of the bank in Bangalore. She is highly respected by her colleagues and officers for her work as well as sports.
 It is nice to see that three rooms in her house are filled with the medals, prizes and awards received by her in the course of her life. She has never forgotten the ordeals faced by her and the challenges she had met and the encouragement she received from various quarters. She wanted to help the handicapped and has founded an ashram to cater to their needs.
She provides medical aid, accommodation, education, etc., to the inmates of the ashram. She has also started a sports training centre for the physically-handicapped in Bangalore. She is keen on improving the two institutions founded by her for the welfare of the disabled.
She is ready to sacrifice anything for its sake. She wants the handicapped to make full use of these organisations and improve their standards. She continues her education in many ways though she is well-settled in life. She is able to speak, read and write in many languages such as Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, English, Hindi, Tulu, Konkani and Marathi.
Her travel has widened her horizon and she selflessly works for the physically-handicapped community. She is 44 years old but young in spirit. She is not interested in marriage but keen on achieving more and more laurels and utilising whatever she has earned for the welfare of the disabled.
Not only she won many golds, but her heart itself is gold. She is a great inspiration for women who feel deserted when they become disabled. Let them learn a lesson from Malathi Holla.
Shanmugam can be contacted
@:
No: 54 Kamaraj Road,
Ramakrishna Nagar,
Alwar Thirunagar,
Chennai- 600 087.
Phone: 248 60 221
E-mail: shanmugam@azagi.com
(Extracted
from the book 'Hope is Life')
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Golden girl
