"Dream, Dream, Dream! Conduct these dreams into thoughts, and then transform them into action."
- Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam
15 Nov 2019
Pranav Balasubramaniam was born without hands but that didn’t diminish his zest for life. As a child growing up in Kerala, he always strived to do what others did and most of the time, he achieved it even with his disability. Inspired by the paintings made by his elder brother, Pranav too learned to paint and won many admirers.
Recently, Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan was overwhelmed by Pranav’s kind gesture of donating the prize money that he had won in a reality show to the Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund.
Pranav’s exuberant nature made him try new things. He learned to paint with his foot and soon started earning by selling his paintings. He would donate this money for a good cause. He was devastated at the havoc caused by floods in Kerala last year and wanted to help. Therefore, on his 21st birthday he met the chief minister of Kerala Pinarayi Vijayan and donated the prize money of Rs 5,000 that he won in a reality show towards the Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund.
Pranav was accompanied by his father Balasubramaniam and mother Swarnakumari, whom he introduced to Pinarayi as his virtual hands. The young artist has completed his BCom course from Government College, Chittur, Palakkad. He is currently attending PSC coaching classes. He praised the state government for its policies for the differently-abled people. Pinarayi Vijayan assured him that he would be given a job after he completes his studies.
The chief minister was touched by the young man’s kind gesture and termed the contribution as immense. He obliged when Pranav requested for a selfie and was surprised when Pranav deftly took the selfie with his foot. He went on to share details of interaction with Pranav on his Facebook page.
Image Source: LifeBeyondNumbers