Women's Day Special : This girl lost both her hands in a bomb blast; you might want to know how she typed her PhD thesis

Malvika Iyer, now 28 years old, was born in Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu, India. On 26 May, 2002, at the age of 13, Iyer lost both her hands in a grenade explosion at her home in Bikaner.

Malvika tells how hers was a happy childhood, till that eventful day in 2002. The ammunition depot in her neighbourhood had an accident, and pieces of bomb were scattered around, unknown to Malvika. One of them exploded, resulting in the loss of her hands. She also had severe injuries to her legs including multiple fractures, nerve paralysis and loss of sensation. The young girl who loved sports and classical dance had to spend two years in bed in excruciating pain, undergoing various surgeries.

Co-Chair at World Economic Forum India Economic Summit: Sharing my vision for a new India https://t.co/omxQpYm9F2 #wefindia pic.twitter.com/rGf9xD0lgJ

— Malvika Iyer (@MalvikaIyer) October 22, 2017

It would seem life was over for the 15-year-old Malvika. At least, that's what everyone thought, even if they did not tell it to her. After all, don't we all think that a girl has to be perfectly formed, and pretty to be of worth? Or that marriage s her ultimate aim. But who would marry a girl who had lost both her hands? These were ideas in the heads of the people who knew Malvika Iyer.

Malvika could have chosen to drown in sorrow and self-pity.

When I lost both my hands to the bomb blast, I'd convinced myself that in this life I'd never be able to cook on my own. Be unstoppable. pic.twitter.com/p865zIbXD3

— Malvika Iyer (@MalvikaIyer) July 28, 2017

But that's not what she was. And her mother made sure that didn't happen to her daughter. Malvika's mother did not leave her side, re-built her confidence and made her realise that one did not need to have a perfect body to be successful in life.

She sat for her 10th boards with a scribe (a person who wrote while Malvika dictated her own answers, because she could not write with her hand), and scored 483 marks out of 500. She was a state rank holder. The girl with no future had made a mark with 100 per cent in mathematics and science. And one of her many admirers and encouragers was late Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, who encouraged her to study more.

She applied to St. Stephen's college in Delhi and got in. It is the top-ranking college of Delhi University and the country, for various courses.

From the girl whose future that everyone was worried about, to a Disability Rights Activist, it has been a long journey. She submitted her PH.D thesis in social work, typing it out with her own hands. And now you can call her, 'Dr, Malvika Iyer.'

Despite losing her hands in a bomb blast, Malvika Iyer decided to push herself & prove that girls are #FitToFight.Today, she is a disability rights activist & is motivating others to do the same. Her inspiring story is just a testament to the statement of #GirlsD?o?n?t?Fight. pic.twitter.com/ICqpVrDd7Z

— Reebok India (@reebokindia) November 27, 2017

She gave a motivational talk at the Youth Forum organized by UN Women at the 61st session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW61). It received a standing ovation, and why not?She has lead by example. From making a subji on her own to becoming a PhD degree holder, she has been determined to succeed and that's what makes her so unique.

She is #fittofight.