“The purpose of human life is to serve, and to show compassion and the will to help others” - Albert Schweitzer. Preethi’s noble purpose in life is to spread love and happiness. She evolved courageously after an accident turned her sporting life upside down and dedicated herself to the advocacy of spinal cord injury survivors. She is a co-founder of the SoulFree foundation that works towards rehabilitation and awareness for people with disabilities. Preethi has been recognized for her efforts by numerous organizations such as Goldman Sachs, Toastmasters, Rotary, TCS, VMware, TVS Credit Services, and many others.

How and when did you decide to start your organization, SoulFree? What challenges do you face while running your organization?P: After being a keen sportsperson from the age of three, a freak accident suddenly left me paralysed below the neck due to a spinal-cord injury. I was shattered and lost for a long time, but my parents’ unconditional love and our spiritual roots gave me the strength to find myself once more.
However, in 2007, when my father was just 57 years of age, he passed away overnight due to sudden, massive cardiac arrest. It left us completely broken once more and without any clue as to how to carry on, because my father had been our connection with the outside world. My mother and I had remained isolated for nearly a decade and now we were suddenly on our own.
Then, my mother also developed a severe heart condition. In 2011, she was hospitalised for more than a month as she had to have bypass surgery. Just ahead of her surgery, my parents’ friends came up to me and said, “Have you thought about your future? How will you survive if there ever came a time if your family is unable to care for you?” I felt as if the life had drained out of me. I cannot imagine my existence without my mother, who supports me on every level.
However, when the practical significance of the question began to seep into me, I tried to research into short-term and long-term/Independent living facilities for people in my condition. I was shocked to learn that all over India, there is not even a SINGLE facility that is equipped to take care of a woman in my condition for the long-term, at least to my knowledge at the time.
Then, it was my mother who inspired me and said, “I have faith in you, you’ve either change, you start an organisation and build such a facility.” I thought she was being absurd because I had no idea of the way the world works, no knowledge of the law, no clue about accounting, and, perhaps most importantly, I felt that I could not even care for myself, how was I going to run an organisation and care for thousands in my condition? However, when we returned to Thiruvannamalai three months after my mother’s surgery, within I learnt that within that span of time, two paraplegic girls I knew had died. They were both hardworking girls, whose upper body worked fine, allowing them to cook, clean and do most household chores. Despite this, they were told, “You are a shame and a burden on the family. We are being ostracised because of your presence. Nobody is willing to marry a brother because there are unwilling to bear such a misfortune and a burden.” Poison was left to them and they drank it and died.
I was shattered that such things could happen. I live in a small temple town and don’t know many people. If this could happen in my world, then I can imagine the numbers all over India. I told myself, “if after this I was going to shut up and not raise my voice, if I would let the fear of failure stop me from doing something positive, I would be part of the problem, not part of the solution.” I decided to be the change and that’s how Soulfree was born. Soulfree was registered as a public charitable trust on August 23, 2013 in Thiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, India.
I faced problems every step of the way because I did not know anything about how to run a public charitable trust. I had no experience in dealing with people or the outside world. I had a lot to learn, but I did. Thiruvannamalai is a small town, and the banks here did not even want to open an account for Soulfree – we are faced apathy, indifference and stigma every step of the way, but it only made a stronger.
The truth is, we face problems, but we were able to learn from them and I have received so much faith and support that we have grown phenomenally over the last five years. Soulfree’s journey thus far has only served to revitalise my faith that when the cause is true, when the need is real and the effort is selfless, the universe will surely provide.

What are the initiative taken by SoulFree for empowering people with disabilities?P: Soulfree’s main goals are to spread awareness about spinal-cord injury in India and to ensure that those living with this currently incurable condition, that has been termed by WHO has the most debilitating condition in the world, are given the opportunity to lead a life of dignity and purpose. Soulfree has a special focus on women, and we are committed to supporting women with severe disabilities, even if it is not spinal-cord injury. Our goal is to improve the quality-of-life of persons struggling with paralysis through improved opportunities in medical and vocational rehabilitation, education, employment, entrepreneurship, sports and to reintegrate them fully into mainstream society.
Some of the current projects that are working well are:
Monthly stipend program: Our monthly stipend program supports those from low-income backgrounds and those with highly-level injuries, who are struggling for day-to-day survival, with Rs. 1000 per month for a period of one year. We are currently supporting 21 beneficiaries and are seriously contemplating increasing the number to 25.
Wheelchair donation drive: Soulfree is currently providing four different types of wheelchairs – 1. Reclining 2. Light-foldable 3. Commode 4. Motorised. With extensive research and commitment to quality, we have upgraded the wheelchairs we provide, to what we think are the best available products in the market for the price range, and we are sponsoring more wheelchairs than ever before.
Independent living program: in a very real sense, the bottom-line is really the bottom-line – if one has money in their pocket, they’re not treated poorly. So, one of Soulfree’s primary cause is to ensure financial independence for our beneficiaries. We do this through vocational training, seed funding and the purchase of equipment like sewing machines that enable entrepreneurship.
More info

What challenges did you face after you met with an accident? What motivated you to face those challenges?P: At 18 years of age, my entire sense of self, my identity had been based on my physical appearance, my achievements and status in society. I had been looked up to all my life, seen as a role model, as a hero, and then in a split second everything was lost. Suddenly, people began looking at me with pity in their eyes or they would studiously look away from, as if I had ceased to exist, I could not bear it at all.
I did not want to play any part in a world that rejected me for something I had no control over. So what if I could do less, I was the same person within, the same fighter, the same champion – so why was I being treated like a failure? I couldn’t understand. So, I tried to shut myself out. It was my parents’ unconditional love that slowly brought me out and gave me a deeper understanding of life. Instead of blaming me or leaving me at a care centre, they quietly sacrificed their lives so that I may live with dignity.
My father stopped working, all of us moved to the temple town of Tiruvannamalai in Tamil Nadu, South India and settled into a simple, ascetic existence, where our goal in life was merely to introspect and find peace and acceptance in our lives.
I have faced difficulties every step of the way. We had trouble finding caregivers in our village, because they considered me as a bad omen or were afraid to do things for me, due to the fear that my misfortune would affect them.
When I tried to join college, I was told, “There are no lifts (elevators), no ramps, don’t join. My father was asked point-blank, “why would you want your daughter, who is in such a condition to even get educated?”
When I started Soulfree, the banks wouldn’t allow us to open an account because they do not accept thumbprints as a valid signature.
Since 2000, my father stopped working and we were leading an ascetic lifestyle. Then, in June 2007, he passed away suddenly of a heart attack, when he was just 57. Four days later, my mother had a heart attack and subsequently needed bypass surgery. Having led a protected life till the age of 18, and having no contact with the outside world for more than a decade, I was suddenly shocked to be placed in the role of the decision-maker and breadwinner of the household. I had to learn a great deal about life, assuming the responsibilities of adulthood. I took charge of my mother’s health and through the grace of God succeeded in bringing her back. While she was in the hospital, I had to find caregivers to take care of my body, which I with the help of my friends. I did not know anything about my father’s investments or our financial position. I had to learn in a hurry. Then, with the use of a speech activated software, I started working full-time as a writer for a moviebased website, which I still continue to do, to this day.
For a quadriplegic, who is almost completely paralysed below the neck, these are big challenges, but at the time, I had no idea that this was just the beginning of a journey that would test my mettle in every way and show me that challenges and barriers are meant to be broken. The confidence and strong sense of self-esteem that my parents have nurtured in me since a very early age, with their unconditional love, has always given a great work ethic and value system. When rooted in a strong spiritual base, these qualities give one the ability to look beyond oneself – personal pain, problems, or gain – to explore how to transcend the personal realm and fulfill one’s highest potential – serve a greater purpose.
Faith in the divine and surrender to a greater force provides one with a constant source of solace. It enables one with the perspective one needs to look beyond external circumstances. I've been taught that happiness, peace and contentment are intrinsic qualities – they are innate to us, beyond the transient physical world. This teaching is deeply embedded in my psyche and over a period of time, I feel that for the most part I can exist in a state of equipoise – a condition where I can be at peace with myself despite the constant ups and downs of day to day life.

You played for under-19 Tamil Nadu state women’s cricket team. Do you want to share a memorable event from when you played?P: Cricket is my first love. I started playing at the age of four soon after the 1983 World Cup that India won for the first time. I was passionate about the game, as many Indians are, but my dream of representing the nation was on the verge of coming true.
In 1997, I was chosen to The Tamil Nadu under 19 women’s team at the Nationals. For the first time, a national level tournament with 18 teams including Jammu and Kashmir participating took place on home soil. We were the hosts, but the competition was very strong – the girls from the northern side of India were more powerful and we had a plot of raw players in our squad. With guidance from our coach and senior players, we came to the semifinals, where I scored my first half-century of the tournament and brought the team to victory. The final match was a more relaxed affair and we were able to win with ease. I received the “Best Bowler Of the Tournament” award for claiming 16 wickets and it was really a dream run for us.
More than two decades since the event, I remember the entire course of events – new friendships being forged, dreams being fulfilled and new ones being born – whatever might have happened afterwards does not matter, those few weeks were absolutely perfect and I will always cherish the memory in the sweetest corner of my heart.

You have received plenty of awards and recognition. Which award is closest to your heart and why?P: In a country like India, disability is looked down upon and persons living with disabilities are faced with stigma more often than not. So, to receive appreciation and recognition for the accomplishments of a quadriplegic in and of itself is extraordinary. Not only that, for hundreds of college students, professionals and even community leaders to come forward and call you their inspiration, their hero – what greater award can there be?
So, I value every award I have received since my accident, not with a sense of personal achievement, but with the thought that I represent a segment of society that is most often treated with stigma and not appreciation.
Amongst all the awards I have received, the one I cherish the most is the “Kalpana Chawla Award” that I received on August 15, 2017 – Independence Day in India. It was bestowed upon me by the Tamil Nadu Government and was handed to me by the Chief Minister of the state during the Independence Day parade – an honour that few are able to receive in their lifetime. What’s more, this award is given to women for “Courage and Daring Enterprise” and I’m the only person with disability to have ever been found worthy of it. Indeed, it was a great privilege for me.
A couple of weeks after the award was given to me, I received a mysterious email stating that Kalpana would be proud to know that I have an award named after her. I was left absolutely speechless to see that it was signed “Jean-Pierre Harrison”, who is none other than Kalpana Chawla’s husband. Mr Harrison also sent me a signed copy of the great Kalpana Chawla’s biography – a gift I will treasure forever.

Who is your inspiration?P: In truth, I’m inspired by everything and everyone. I love life and even death has inspired me to live every moment to the fullest.
Nature inspires me with its beauty and bounty; food inspires me; music and movies inspire me. The world is so beautiful – how can one not being inspired in every moment. Actually, even pain and suffering are inspiring, because they force us to grow and change our perspective of life – my suffering taught me to help others and try to empower them to live independently. However, in an effort to answer your question –
My parents are my greatest inspiration, my role models. When I was lost in an abyss of depression and self-pity, it was my father’s friendship, my mother’s love and their unconditional support that made me feel that I could transform my tragedy into triumph.
As a cricketer, my inspiration was Sir Vivian Richards, whose charisma and attitude towards the game of cricket was awesome. I have always loved Steffi Graf’s determination and grace, Stephen Hawking’s ability to find humour in the most gut-wrenching of situations.
Above all, I’m inspired by my spiritual masters – self-realised souls like Ramana Maharishi, Yogi Ramsuratkumar, Nisargadatta Maharaj – who are the true jewels of India.

What are your other hobbies?P: I work full-time using a speech activated software. So, along with a full-time job and my responsibilities to Soulfree, there is hardly any free time. However, when I do have some precious moments, I love spending time with friends, listening to music, watching movies or a good game of cricket, indulging in delicious food etc. I also write poetry and am in the process of writing a book.
I lead a very simple life and perhaps my most joyous moments are spent quietly sitting in the garden doing nothing at all; just being a witness to nature’s infinite beauty all around me.

What is your favorite place to visit? What do you like about that place?P: The first 18 years of my life, we moved almost every year. The 12 years of school, I went to 9 different schools in three different continents. I have lived in Europe, USA and India and truly feel blessed to have had such great exposure so early on in my life.
However, now I have made roots in this place I love beyond words. Thiruvannamalai is a spiritual town and there is no other place in the world I would love to be. My favourite place to visit is my guru’s ashram and also Ramana Maharishi ashram. We have a holy Mountain, known as Arunachala, in this town and people consider it especially auspicious to circum-ambulate it during the full moon nights. It is a 15 km journey around the circumference of the hill and I have completed more than 100 “pradakshina” of the mountain. I have gone around the hill 14 times in my motorised wheelchair, without anybody’s help, and consider it one of my most cherished activities.
I often like to say, “Thiruvannamalai is a parallel realm, it only pretends to be on earth.” It is a great spiritual healer, the ultimate churner that forces us to see within ourselves and leads us to peace and tranquillity. Time travels differently here and anybody who comes here for more than a week will forget about the day, date and much of what they thought to be important before they came here. Please do not take my word for it, come here and experience it for yourself and, when you come here, be sure to visit us!

What tips/advice do you have for those in our community who want to live independently?P: First of all, I wish to thank you for considering me equipped to give advice for a community of people.
If anything, I would say, "don't take life or yourself so seriously. Always try to see the funny side of things and also the silver lining. And, never for any reason limit, bind or identify yourself with the label “disabled” – there are many labels that the world may wish to attach to us at various points in time, but those are the world’s perception of us and have very little to do with the real Us". People we consider our greatest heroes have been ridiculed in society, many of them have faced worse failures than we ever will. As they say, "our greatest glory is not in never falling, but it's rising each time we fall."
Also, life is not about all the things you cannot do. It's what we choose to do with what we can do. It doesn’t matter what age you are, what your abilities are, or what your current goals are, you have the ability to accomplish whatever you set your mind to, but just follow the following principles:
SELF-ENQUIRY: If you don’t find the root cause of the problem, the solution will always be elusive
SELF-LOVE: If you don’t go within and find a way to love yourself as you are, all the success in the world will still leave you feeling hollow. Never give anybody the power to make you question your sense of self-worth; just take my word for it, you are a worthy and valuable human being who deserves love and has the right to go after your dreams. Don’t let anybody or any event make you believe otherwise
SELF-CENTRED: If you don’t believe in yourself, back yourself 100% and DO IT for yourself, nobody will. Being self-centred or being centred in the self is not the same as being selfish – when we recognise the difference, we change completely as human beings.

Any special message for our community?P: All my life, one of the most precious things to me has always been a sense of belonging. Through “Inspiration Matters”, Nupur Chokshi ji is taking so much trouble to bring together a global community that can nourish, nurture and of course inspire each other. I feel that we must all be thankful for this awesome platform and use it to motivate ourselves and go after our dreams with 100% passion and positive energy!
My motto in life is very simple – I wish to spread love, laughter and light in the world around me as long as I’m here. What is your motto in life? What is your ultimate goal in life and why do you wish to achieve it? It doesn’t matter what society or anyone else think about you, it only matters what you think about yourself and whether you are able to be true to yourself. Just think about it and the answers may just help you recalibrate your priorities and guide you to reconnect with your inner self.