First blind IFS officer among 'first ladies' lauded by President

NEW DELHI: Beno Zephine, India's first 100% visually-impaired person to join the Indian Foreign Service in 2015, was among 111 women felicitated by President Ram Nath Kovind for their remarkable journey as "first ladies" in their respective fields.
Currently serving in the Indian embassy in Paris, this young woman's story showcases how will power coupled with support at home can help overcome any physical disability.In the absence of study material in Braille, it was Zephine's parents who spent hours reading out to her so that she could learn, revise and record information as a student. She not only passed the civil services examination but a rank of 343 ensured a place for her in the coveted foreign service.
In her late twenties and originally from Chennai, Zephine is posted as a language trainee in Paris. She is experimenting with speech assistive tools to help her execute her responsibilties. She also uses Job Access With Speech (JAWS), a software that allows the visually challenged to read from a computer screen.
At a function organised by the women and child development ministry before the "first ladies" were felicitated at Rashtrapati Bhawan, Zephine told TOI "the honour makes her feel more responsible and encourages me to do more."
The "first ladies" club saw India's first bartender rubbing shoulders with the first coffee taster and the first train driver and first woman porter posing alongside the first woman detective. A young musician who is India's first woman bagpiper shared her story at one end of the room while a talented ventriloquist discussed her skill-set with other first ladies.
Like Beno the list also had other ladies who had risen above the challenge of their disabilities.
Rajani Gopalkrishna the first visually challenged woman chartered accountant lost her eyesight due to medical negligence of a doctor. She was nine years old when her eyesight deteriorated finally leading to blindness. At her current work place she also focusses on mentoring and guiding students to lead respectful dignified lives.
Nivedita Joshi's story is a powerful example of overcoming severe odds. Stricken by a slipped disc, cervical spondylosis and an early stage scoliosis, she was virtually bedridden, and was unable to move, for eight long years. Initiation to yoga led to relief and ultimate cure.