Anish Mohan’s life is as bare as the MMA legend Anderson Silva’s inspirational quote, “No one will hit you harder than life itself. It doesn’t matter how much you hit back. It’s about how much you can take, and keep fighting. How much can you suffer and keep moving forward? That is how you win.”
Following only the philosophy of winning, Anish has now reached the heights that many of us can only imagine. Anish, a Kottayam resident, has found a place in the last 20 of JCI Ten Outstanding Young Persons of the World (JCI TOYP) programme for people under the age of 40. He is the only Indian in the list. Talking about his journey, Anish says reaching where he is now was not a cakewalk at all.
“I could not believe it when I was told that my name was shortlisted among the final 20 of the JCI Ten Outstanding Young Persons of the World ((JCI TOYP),” says Anish.
JCI TOYP serves to formally recognise young people who excel in their chosen fields and create positive changes. By recognising these young people, JCI raises the status of socially responsible leaders in this world. The honorees are to motivate their peers to seek excellence and serve others. Their stories of discovery, determination, and ingenuity inspire young people to be better leaders and create a better society. And Anish’s story is worth sharing. He was leading a normal life until it took a wrong turn in the form of a train accident. On October 17, 2009, Anish was crossing a railway track in Thiruvananthapuram in a hurry to catch the last bus to Kottayam. He tripped and fell, hit his head on the tracks and lost consciousness. The next moment, a train bore down on him, passing over him and his right hand (above the elbow) and left leg (below the knee) got severed. When he regained consciousness, he was in hospital. His hand was reattached but what he could not get back were his dreams.
Anish Mohan receives JCI India Outstanding Young Person National Award - 2018
Prior to his accident, he was working in the technical field, but during his recovery, he felt motivated to begin a career in social work, assisting people who have suffered from similar situations.
“Dr Mathew Kanamala was the one who inspired me in the days after the accident. He witnessed me going through hard times. After talking and building a friendship with him, he told me that I would become a speaker in the future. I could not say ‘no’ to him and started working as a speaker. I tried to inspire people and tried winning my own disabilities. My job was to share some stories and insights to help those who sit in front of me. People started giving me great feedback. That’s when I knew I wanted to share the message of hope and love,” says Anish.
According to him, the best part of being a motivational speaker is that every time you get up in front of an audience, you know that at least one person will be changed forever. “I believe in sharing knowledge. I love talking and at a very young age, I loved addressing people. It was inside me, but I never knew I would take up this a profession.”
Now, Anish works as the national coordinator and trainer for the Institute for Person-Centered Approaches in India (IPCAI). “IPCAI is an organisation that aims to create a society that is more compassionate and inclusive, particularly working for persons with disabilities and those from lower socio-economic backgrounds. With the aim to foster relationship between teenagers living with learning disabilities and their parents, I also run a project called Teen IPCAI that provides motivational training, disability awareness and counselling to programme participants.”
Due to his involvement with the disabled community, Anish was given the opportunity to serve as the district ambassador of the Systematic Voters Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP). SVEEP works to increase voter awareness and participation the elections. Anish saw this as an opportunity to showcase his petition for the disabled: A Fight for Equal Rights for Differently Abled. The petition’s consistency caused the Kerala State Road Transport Commissioner to establish special parking areas for people with disabilities in all government and public institutions across the state.
Anish has turned a tragedy into inspiration through motivational speeches to over 350,000 people, instilling hope and encouraging people to lift one another, especially those with special needs. His speeches and articles have given the disabled community a platform to voice their needs, showing his ongoing commitment to achieving social justice for all. “I get motivated when I help others to grow,” adds Anish.
Now waiting for the results from JCI, Anish is very confident that his name would be in it. “People are giving me much support and I have a feeling that it is achievable. The voting is still up and will end by midnight tomorrow. I hope I would be able to win the honors at the event that will be held in Estonia.” To vote for Anish, one can go to the link https://toyp.jci.cc and click on his photo and biography and there will be a ‘like’ button beneath his photo. He says he could not have achieved it if it was not JCI Nalukody and JCI India and their encouragement and support.
Anish’s dream is to address 10 million people and inspire them, and to make Kerala a disability-friendly state.
“Now that I got international attention, I would love to work for the disabled people in a wider way and help them to attain a self-sufficient life. That is my biggest dream. Remeber there is hope and greater purpose to your life.,” he wraps up.
