A section of the gathering at the programme

Ali Fiya Tundawala, a 32-year-old who has lost her sight but not her grit, reads 50 books a year and has taken up a research project, The Muslim Search for Identity.

Shahidaben Tambawala, a 33-year-old Bhowanipore home-maker who undergoes dialysis every third day after losing both her kidneys, continues to take care of her minor sons.

Bilkus Bengalee, who came to the city after her divorce, took up odd jobs — like selling vanaspati from door to door — to raise her son. He now holds a top position in a leading multinational IT firm.

These are few of the heroes who assembled at the auditorium of St Xavier’s College on Sunday morning to send a message cutting across communities — that any challenge can be overcome.

“The event has been organised to highlight the achievement of individuals who have exercised tremendous will power under difficult circumstances. As many people are buckling under pressure now, we wanted to showcase these real heroes to prove that problems can be overcome by anyone,” said M. Patherya, organiser of the programme Heroes Among Us.

Tundawala had suffered from retinitis pigmentosa, a disease that made her lose her sight. “My penchant for knowledge helped through the trying times. I didn’t want to die ignorant of the world because of the challenge I was, and still am, facing,” she said.

Tundawala now scans for herself the books she wants to read and converts the texts into speech with software in her computer.

“I also read some books in Braille,” she added, speaking of her dream to become a lecturer in political science.

Tambawala,too, lives with her dream. She has undergone over 300 dialyses till date. “ I know that I will die in five days if I fail to attend the dialysis sessions. But I am determined to keep going till my two minor sons grow up,” smiled Tambawala.

Daud Ujjainwala, a 92- year old who is a real estate broker, spoke to the audience about his “active” life.

“I begin my day at 5 am and keep working till 9 pm. I take care of my health and am still handsome. I also am an earning member of my family,” said Ujjainwala with a grin.