If IIT didn't want him, he didn't want IIT either

Shrikanth Bolla- first visually impaired student at MIT

It was probably a good thing when the Indian Institute of Technology closed its door to Srikanth Bolla, on account of his visual disability, because it propelled him to apply to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). And he got through.

"I thought that if I could not get a seat at a renowned Indian institution, I must at least get into a world renowned institution. And I did," said Bolla.

In 2009, when he had completed his pre-university from a college in Hyderabad, he wanted to get into IIT, but no coaching institute gave him admission. Undeterred, he applied to the MIT. "Around 120 seats are open to international students, and I was the only blind person," he says. Presently, he is studying the final semester of his under-graduate degree in Computer Science and Business Management.

Bolla shared his dream with the staff of MIT of creating a centre for blind students in India where they can learn computer.

He created a curriculum, then with additional grants, he bought five computers, rented a building, hired a faculty member, and began 10-week computer classes. The centre now trains 30 blind high school students each year, but with more funding, he hopes to add more computers and more students.

Bolla was quoted in MIT journal, where he said, “I want to dedicate my life to community and social service. I want a place in society where people look up to me as a role model and great leader”.

For Srikanth, despite life being more challenging than it is for most of us, he always aimed high. Born blind into an agricultural family in Sitaramapuram village in Krishna District, Andhra Pradesh, he was admitted to a blind school in Hyderabad. He excelled in studies and scored above 90 percent in his class 10 examinations. He wanted to be an engineer and applied for the physics, mathematics and chemistry group for pre-university. But the education department said that a visually challenged person could only take up humanities. He had to run from pillar to post to get a favourable judgement. With the support of T Swarnalatha, his teacher from class 4, who translated all the books for him in audio format and braille he managed to score 93 percent. But the hurdle came when he wanted to join IIT after his pre-university. No entrance coaching institute gave him admission.

In August 28, 2006, when Dr APJ Abdul Kalam posed a question to students during a programme asking them, ‘What do you want to become in life?’. It was Bolla who raised his voice from the crowd and said, “I want to be the first visually challenged President of India”.