Gratitude

Christel Naomi Roberts

“At times, our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.” – Albert Schweitzer

This thought of Albert Schweitzer, that I read somewhere on social media, got me thinking of how important being grateful is. In today’s fast-paced world, we seldom think about the things that we are blessed to have, the people around us who have stood by us, and the opportunities and choices that have come on our way.

Very recently, one of our Alumni; Kartik Vurukonda sent us a letter filled with heartfelt words of gratitude on the day of his induction in ICICI Prudential, expressing his thanks to the founders of WVF and the trainers for the opportunity and the knowledge that was imparted to him. He thanked each one of them, acknowledging how they helped him overcome his limitations and encouraged him to strive for what he wanted. He also sent across pictures that he had digitally designed by himself as a token of love to all his trainers.

This gesture from Kartik not only made us happy but also helped us reflect on ourselves to be grateful to be able to contribute and help people achieve their dreams and reach for the stars.

Reflecting on the lines of Albert Schweitzer, it is gestures like these that remind us to be grateful for all that we are, the people who support us and for all that we do.

Let us remember to be grateful!

Do take a look at Kartik’s letter and his artwork!

Dear Sir/Madam,

I, Kartik Vurukonda, would like to thank the entire team of WinVinaya Foundation from the bottom of my heart. This organization has done a lot and supported me in every situation and helped me gain confidence in obtaining a lot of skills overall. When I gave the first interview to one of the companies which was arranged by the organization, I failed to clear it because of the difficult level of questions asked. However, the entire team; Ramya madam, Uma madam, Kasthuri madam, Jannet madam and Laharee madam and others took a lot of pain and arranged many mock interviews so that I can clear the interviews of other companies. Whenever I used to get discouraged, they would encourage me and try to explain and correct my mistakes. Due to so many such interview sessions, my confidence level grew and I was able to clear the interview for ICICI Prudential. I was very fortunate to be able to get help from WinVinaya Foundation.

Today was my induction into ICICI Prudential and no words would suffice to explain how much I am indebted to all of you. I wanted to share my happiness personally and hence I am writing this letter to show my appreciation and gratitude to WinVinaya Foundation. Thank you so much Shiva Sir and Akila Madam, you are the pillars of this organization, keep continuing to help the society. I would also like to express my special thanks to Laharee madam, Uma madam, Kasthuri madam, Ramya madam, Jannet madam, Dhanraj sir and to the entire team. I have also got inspired by the other PwD candidates studying in the organization like Shohan Konchada and Ankit Deb and many others. They are all determined, joyful, smart and hard-working people.

If given an opportunity, I would like to share my experiences with other students like me and encourage them. I would also recommend to my friends who are disabled to enroll and study in your organization so that they can improve and gain skills and confidence in themselves.

I don’t know how to express my love to all of you but as a small gesture, I have created some digital paintings of some members of the team. Hope you will like it.

                            Akila Ma’am

                       Ramya Ma’am