Shreya Rai could neither hear nor speak—but she had a dream. With the unwavering support of Chinmaya Vidyalaya, she overcame every obstacle, pursued engineering, and today, works with the Government of India in Mumbai, living independently with pride and purpose.
This is not just Shreya’s triumph—it’s a reflection of how Chinmaya Mission quietly transforms lives through its educational institutions, rural development programs, and community upliftment efforts.
What can I say about this girl!
Transformation-through-empowerment
This story is about a girl, her mother and her school. The girl is Shreya Rai. Her mother is Anshu Rai. The school is Chinmaya Vidyalaya, Satna, in Madhya Pradesh.
We asked the mother how she would introduce Shreya to someone knows anything about her daughter.
Anshuji said, “I would say, ‘Shreya is an engineer at the Western Region Power Committee. She lives on her own in Mumbai and can manage a home and a job.’ Now, her disability is totally in the backseat – I don’t even mention it anymore when I introduce her. Instead, I say, ‘Shreya is caring, hardworking, and sensitive. She wants to help others and is not afraid of anything!’
Anshuji recalled the early years of living in a small town that with no speech therapy facilities or schools for special children.
“Shreya was three years old when we realized that she could not hear or speak. That was shocking, but more than me, her father showed great courage. We went to so many schools where they all said, ‘Yes, we will give admission, but we cannot guarantee that she will be able to learn anything. How can we teach her anything when she can neither speak nor hear?’
“After six months, we went to Chinmaya Vidyalaya. There, I did not get the feeling that I was the mother of a disabled child. With great love, they reassured me that Shreya WOULD LEARN. For the first time, I felt confidence rise inside me. . .
Continue to Read more here. . . If you haven’t yet read the Chinmaya Mission’s 2025 Impact Report, do take a moment. It’s filled with real stories like Shreya’s—stories of change, courage, and compassion.
👉 http://share.chinmayamission.com/docs/Transformation-through-empowerment.pdf
And if you have a story of how Chinmaya Mission has touched your life, we’d love to hear it! Share it with us at socialmedia@chinmayamission.com
