Determination, thy name is Jessica Cox!!!

By now most of us have heard of this wonder-girl, but still, without writing a word or two about her would be unfair on my part to my blog write-ups.

Meet 25-year-old Jessica Cox a graduate from the University of Arizona, USA who has proven anything is possible with hard work, focus and a gritty mind-set.

Jessica was born without arms and doctors had no clue on the exact reason for she born that way. And so from her childhood, legs are her 'hands'. Like any other kid, she was aggressive and enthusiastic in many activities though she did it all with legs, that others did with hands. Be it swimming, dancing, gymnastics or outdoor sports. She always showed an aversion towards prosthetic devices even at the early stage. And here come another shocker; she earned a black belt at the age of 14 from the International Tae Kwon-Do Federation. And now you can imagine what all she can do with legs with the easiness of hands. Writing 25 wpm while taking down notes at college, using computers at ease, putting contact lenses, brushing hair, washing and what not.

Till the age of 25, three years ago, she had never traveled in an aircraft, leave alone thinking of flying one. And it was a historical meeting when Robin Stoddard, Executive Director and founder of a non-profit organization called Wright Flight Inc, happened to meet her and asked if she is interested in flying an aircraft. She obediently replied that the only thing she is scared of, is flying. Robin explained to her about his senior, a strong-minded Fighter Pilot who lost both his legs in an accident and was confined to wheel chair, but still fly planes !!! Jessica got inspired and thought of breaking the jinx and she rewrote history by flying one on that destined day, 10^th of Oct 2008 and she did it in style. . Remarkable!!!

A great lesson to learn from this gorgeous, indomitable girl. She was always ‘used to’ carry out and achieve whatever she Aspired. Let us, the so called 'physically fits' be 'awake' and expect many more wonders from her in future.

God Bless !!!

Our Own Culture..

India always showed an openness to embrace and extract the good from anything and everything. How can we recognize an act, which is against 'Our' culture? And how we define 'Our' culture, which is a culmination of many, put together. We have a track record of combining civilizations, voluntarily or forcibly, right from the days of Aryan invasion, centuries ago. Then we came across various unfamiliar kingdoms, both good and evil, which attacked and ruled us for centuries. A ‘Holy Fusion’ of various thoughts and practices altogether. This doesn't mean it is the weakness of India as a nation, but it is the broadness and our nature of warmness to our 'Uninvited Guests' which ultimately ended up in this present unique form.

A nation, where Mahatma Gandhi lived and showed the world the importance of high thinking and simple living ; a nation that gave birth to Swami Vivekananda, who with his adept oration and discourses, changed the way the world look at Indian Monks ; a nation with thousands of other leads like Subash Chandra Bose, Shaheed Bhagat Singh, B.R. Ambedkar, C.V Raman, Mother Teresa, Amartya Sen, E.M.S Namboodiripad, K Kamaraj, Baba Amte, Homi Bhabha and A.P.J Abdul Kalam to name a very few from the never ending list.

How can we forget the epitome of righteousness, Sri Adi Shankara, who truly was a ‘Revolutionary’ in terms of his vision on caste and creed? The one who revived and purified Hinduism with his philosophies and condemned the wrong practices existed in those days (Though there are still many, who failed to understand him and stick to 'Unnecessary Practices’).

The Essence and Strength of our nation or cultural heritage is our Vibrant and Receptive nature and let’s be proud of that. No nation has a culture/history/tradition as Unique or Diversified as ours. Jai Hind!!!

Note: The world has seen last year an ‘Indian’ woman Space Walk. Sad that a few of us bother when women Pub Walk...