Immobility fails to keep her from going places

Ameerpet: "Never let the odds keep you from doing what you know in your heart you are meant to do" is what Koppula Vasundhara, a wheelchair user, believes in. Vasundhara owns a media firm 'Weave Medias' which organises several events for the disabled people.

The firm was launched in 2014 and has 5 employees. The main reason to start the firm was to create an impact on the society and awareness about the problems of disabled people.

Speaking to THI, Vasundhara, the CEO of Weave Medias, said, "I was affected by polio when I was hardly two years old. My family consisting of my mother and brother are my biggest pillars of strength. I had a dream to become a television anchor. I even moved to Hyderabad to follow my dreams. But only when I stepped into the outer world did I realise that people saw my disability rather than my abilities."

"More than the physical dependency, it is the financial dependency that hampers our growth. For people like us, it is the lack of minimum facilities and difficulty in getting a job that weakens our morale. I have understood this through my personal experience and the outcome is Weave Medias," she adds further.

In 2014, her media firm organised a mega event called VCCL (Visually Challenged Cricket League) with more than 120 visually challenged persons at the LB Stadium, Hyderabad. In 2019, she has conducted Pride of Hyderabad awards. Taking a cue from the success of VCCL, Vasundhara is contemplating to organise a mega beauty contest called Miss Ability for disabled persons. "Disability is no bar to seek a career in the fields of TV, cinema or modeling' was the sole motto of this upcoming event. I have also conducted a beauty and personality contest for the differently-abled and have learned that one can make a difference only when we can move forward and do something sustainable long after the programme. With this one, I hope to build a sustainable entrepreneurship cell and hub."

Vasundhara is soon going to start a start-up for the disabled. "The startup hub will be exclusively for qualified but unemployed disabled people in the state. So far, there has been no such body that gave thought to our community," she adds further.

Talking about the struggle that she has faced to start the organisation, she said, "Trust was one of the difficulties that I faced a lot from people. Even my mother was not ready to let me do something in this field. I was always passionate about media and anchoring. When people got to know that I wanted to do this business, no one supported me. There were many backlashes from many people. Since I worked in several organizations earlier, I saved the money for the funds to run this business."

Awards come her way

In 2018, she was presented with 'Advantage Woman Award' from ICICI Bank. The same year, she received 'Visishta Seva Puraskaram' from Andhra Pradesh government. She won the title 'Most Voted Girl of the Nation' at the Miss Wheelchai India programme in 2013.

ENABLING THE DISABLED

♦ In 2014, she organised a mega event called VCCL (Visually Challenged Cricket League) at LB Stadium

♦ In 2019, she successfully conducted Pride of Hyderabad awards

♦ She is now mulling over a mega beauty contest called Miss Ability for disabled persons

♦ Vasundhara informs she is soon going to start a start-up for the disabled

More than the physical dependency, it is the financial dependency that hampers our growth. For people like us, it is the lack of minimum facilities and difficulty in getting a job that weakens our morale. I have understood this through my personal experience and the outcome is Weave Medias

– Koppula Vasundhara