CHENNAI: Being in the social sector from a young age, N Chandrasekaran has travelled to remote villages, and has met many social service workers. He wanted to commemorate these inspiring men and women, and their journeys, in a book, and came up with Incredible Champions.
The first part was published last year, chronicling inspiring stories from Ranchi, Hyderabad, Mysuru and Thiruvananthapuram. The book will be launched today at Loyola Institute of Business Administration (LIBA).
It’s a collection of stories of 15 people who have done extraordinary work in the social sector, giving a detailed picture of what made them take up social work, the life changing experiences that made them take this decision and their journey in bringing their vision into life. “My friend, SS Manohar, gave up many things in life to help tribal settlements. When he passed away in 2012, my friends wanted me to write a book on him,” he explains. “This inspired me to feature more people like him. I want to look at what triggered these people, and how they faced challenges.”
Recalling a story he says, “Snehalatha’s story is one of courage and stubborn will. Both her sons were born blind. Using music, she taught and helped her children grow. Even Abdul Kalam visited her house. One of her sons is now a music teacher; he teaches ADHD students. He lives and speaks only music,” he shares. These journeys made him wonder how creative solutions can solve social causes.
He doesn’t want to stop just yet and plans to document at least 108 such inspiring stories. “I would like to continue writing sequels. For that, I need interns who can carry forward this work, and also expand to other parts of the country,” he says, hoping that through his books, more people will be inspired.
Incredible Champions is available on Amazon and Flipkart. For details, mail to chandrasekaran@liba.edu