IIT Guwahati Student With Cerebral Palsy Secures Dream Job In Google
Pranav Nair”s journey to reach Google has not been an easy one. It was with sheer courage an determination the 22-year-old cerebral palsy-affected wheelchair-bound Pranav landed at his dream job. He studied computer engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IIT-G).
Pranav told PTI that it was with the support of his parents and faculty at the institute that he succeeded in attaining his goal of becoming a software engineer. He, recollecting his journey from childhood to his dream placement in Google, said: “As a child, my struggle mainly revolved around two fronts – the first was academic as I faced a lot of hassles in logistics. While my parents believed firmly that I attain education at a mainstream school, most schools were reluctant to give admission to a student like me for various reasons – for instance, they may have to shift classrooms to the ground floor, install elevators, or provide certain additional support to me,” PTI quotes as he is saying.
Pranav Nair added that wheelchair made traveling demanding and thereby, he always had to depend on others and specific mode of transport, which added burden of his studies.
“The other aspect of my struggle was at a personal level as people, including friends, tend to have a different perspective about a disabled person. As a child, I had to skip many childhood pleasures such as picnics, treks, sports, and others but I found solace and success in other activities, particularly public speaking”, Pranav said.
At first, Pranav wanted to pursue medicine and become a doctor but after his schooling at Muscat in Oman, his parents recommended that he would think of a career where he would thrive and not limited due to his physical abilities. It was then due to his interest and love of computers, he decided to become a software engineer. He stated that the technology made his life more simple and fulfilling compared to when he was a child.
His plans for the present and the future focus on his career in software, and work that will assist the masses. “I hope that I can contribute in ways that would be able to make the lives of other people more accessible and welcoming, using technology”,” Pranav added.
(With inputs from PTI)
