Comeback Kings & Queens
Shubha Shetty-Saha
DNA-Mumbai
Monday, November 20, 2006
Five survivors reveal their inspiring stories…
Whitney Houston's career, which had nose-dived for years, is rocking again post divorce from her husband of 14 years Bobby Brown. A failed marriage seems to have propelled the singer to do better in her career. Closer home, we talk to a five gritty people who like Whitney didn't let the crises in their lives keep them down…
Then: Singer/actor Raageshwari had a rare form of paralysis where her facial muscles were affected.
Now: She has bounced back. She's just released another album and is taking aerobic lessons.
Raageshwari says: "I have always looked at life from a broader perspective. When I fell ill, the best thing I did was go to the hospital for physiotherapy than stay at home and get it done.
At the hospital, when I met other patients I realised that there were people who had far graver ailments than mine. I truly believe that when you are hurting, the process of healing has already begun. A survivor will never let a crisis bog him or her down.
Then: Wellness expert Deepika Mehta had met with an accident during a rock climbing exercise, which left her bed ridden for more than a year.
Now: Deepika has bounced back and is a successful teacher of spiritual yoga. She has Aishwarya Rai and Bipasha Basu in her star-studded list of clientele.
Deepika says: "You need to just tap into your survival instinct. The trick is not to feel sorry for yourself and try and not get into the 'why me' mode. One should take such crisis as a challenge, because every one has to go through some kind of struggle. If you look at it positively you realise that these problems only make you emerge stronger. It's the best opportunity to grow. When you are pushed against the wall, the best thing to do is push back!"
Then: TV actor Achint Kaur came out of a failed marriage with a little son and eked a living out for herself.
Now: Achint is a successful film and television actor.
Achint says: "One needs to know that somewhere down the line anything can happen to anybody. The most important thing is to have sound educational background. Education can tide you over any crisis. One just needs to know that the best option is to move on rather than wallow in self pity; there is always a way out."
Then: Actor ShahRukh Khan had a life-threatening back operation, which could have incapacitated him for life.
Now: SRK is back with a bang, working harder as ever.
SRK says: "Post surgery that niggling pain was unbearable. But thankfully, about 60 per cent of the pain is gone. I guess positive thinking made a huge difference. The rest is up to God."
Then: TV heartthrob Ejaz Khan had a bad accident on the sets of a film, which left his shoulder so frozen that doctors had said that he would never be able to move his right hand. This left the actor unemployed for a long time.
Now: Ejaz is a successful TV actor.
Ejaz says: "When doctors refused to treat my shoulder further, I refused to give up. I tied a rope to my hand, placed a pulley above and started moving it slowly. I did all this because I am passionate about my work and couldn't even dream of not working. With passion and determination one can get out of any situation."