Despite losing all four limbs in a horrific accident, Dwarapureddy Chandra Mouli from a small town near Visakhapatnam refused to let his spirit be broken. He has now been accepted into the post-graduate programme in management at the prestigious Indian Institute of Management – Ahmedabad (IIM-A) for the 2023-25 batch.
Chandra Mouli’s accident occurred when he came into contact with a high-voltage live wire while retrieving his sister’s ring from a shed in front of his house. Doctors were forced to amputate his limbs to save his life, but Chandra Mouli remained determined. With the support of his family and friends, he avoided emotional distress and social withdrawal during his three-month hospitalization at King George Hospital in Visakhapatnam.
Undeterred by his circumstances, Chandra Mouli earned a law degree and secured a job with Amazon, which he is currently working from home. He taught himself how to prepare for the competitive CAT exam using online video-sharing and social media platforms like YouTube. With a score of 87 percentile in the persons with disability category, he will begin his MBA classes at IIM-A in June.
Chandra Mouli’s father, D Venkata Ramana, praised his son’s resilience, saying he focused on what could be done rather than what was lost and could not be undone. The family moved to Narsipatnam from Ravikamatham village for the education of their children several years ago. Venkata Ramana, who now works as a watchman at the state government’s BC welfare hostel in Narsipatnam after running a small business, took a bank loan to ensure his son could pursue his dream at IIM-A.