Preethi Srinivasan
Preethi Srinivasan (born 1979)[1] was the captain of the under-19 Tamil Nadu women's cricket team,[2] and lead the state team to the national championships in 1997 at the age of 18. After surviving an accident that left her quadriplegic,[3] she co-founded Soulfree, a foundation that champions the causes of restoring, rehabilitating, and re-integrating those with spinal cord injuries and spreads awareness on its prevention among Indian youth.[4]
She was also a title-holder swimmer, having won a state gold in 50 m breaststroke and silver in other events.[5] She also delivers talks on disability issues.[6]
Education and early years[edit]
Preethi graduated from Upper Merion Area High School, Pennsylvania, USA in 1997 and was awarded the academic honours for outstanding accomplishment and excellence in academics for year 1996/97 along with other recognitions. In class 12, she was among United States of America's top 2 percent merit students and was awarded representation with Who's Who Among American high school students.[citation needed] Due to her father's transferable job, Preethi got the opportunity to extensively travel and learn about different cultures/traditions.[citation needed]
After her accident, she took up a Bachelor correspondence course in Medical Sociology from the University of Madras. She also holds interest in music, art, films, and literature. She considers her mother, Mrs. Vijayalakshmi Srinivasan, a constant source of encouragement and backing.[7]
Career[edit]
Preethi's charitable organization, Soulfree, was founded with the aim of "transforming the lives of persons with disabilities".[8]
Awards[edit]
- Vijay TV's "Sigaram Thotta Pengal – Ray of Hope" award[9]
- Raindropss' "Woman Achiever of the Year 2014" award
- Femina "Penn Sakthi" award bestowed upon the top 10 most influential women in Tamil Nadu for the year 2014
- Envisage ability award 2014...
- Sudesi magazine's "Dhruva award" for excellence in social work
- The Rotary's highest award "For the Sake of Honour"
- Agent of change" Award from district Rotaract Council (Rotary International district 3230) for the year 2014–15
- Kalpana Chawla award from Tamil Nadu CM[10]
References[edit]
- ^ "Soulfree of Preethi Srinivasan -". Archived from the original on 23 October 2016. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
- ^ "She captained an under-19 women's cricket team and after her disability is inspiring thousands! - The Better India". thebetterindia.com. 9 January 2014. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
- ^ Kumar, Saradha Mohan (7 September 2013). "Former cricket star is voice of disabled". The Times of India. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
- ^ "Soulfree | Positively abled - About". soulfree.org. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
- ^ "Quadriplegic can't climb stairs, so university denies her a seat | The Indian Express". The Indian Express. 7 September 2013. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
- ^ "Preethi Srinivasan: How she defeated her disability? – MotivateMe.in". motivateme.in. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
- ^ "Together, We are Able to Overcome Rejections and Obstacles | PatientsEngage". PatientsEngage. Retrieved 26 August 2017.
- ^ Vijay, Hema (31 October 2014). "Playing through pain". The Hindu.
- ^ "Gitamritam - Profile | Preethi Srinivasan". gitamritam.com. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
- ^ "Preethi Srinivasan gets Kalpana Chawla award from Tamil Nadu CM". Deccan Chronicle. 16 August 2017. Retrieved 26 August 2017.