: Twenty-one-year-old Gaganbir Singh Chhabra has finally realised his dream of studying at an IIM. So what about that? A lot, if you can barely see. Chhabra suffers from a rare medical condition called retinitis pigmentosa, which makes him 85 per cent blind, unable to read, write and move freely. Despite that, Chhabra cleared the 2007 CAT exams with a 94.4 per cent percentile at the first attempt. After receiving calls from five IIMs, Chabbra eventually cleared three of the top institutes and settled on IIM, Bangalore.
Behind his success was his mother, who passed away just months before he appeared for the CAT. “I was diagnosed with pigmentosa when I was 10. Since then, my mother stood by me, giving me the courage to fight my weaknesses. I always topped at academics and even participated in extra-curricular activities in school and college,” says Chhabra, a resident of Ahmedabad.
No surprise then that Chhabra, an active debater, singer and actor, topped his class 10 and 12 exams, securing 86 and 84 per cent respectively. He never let his weakness be a disability even though he always needed constant support. “I would always want my friends to treat me equally. I have been a normal teenager and love listening to the Beatles, Elvis Presley and watching Shah Rukh Khan movies,” he says. Throughout his career, he has never considered using Braille, not even after his mother’s advice. “I found it irksome to use Braille since I wasn’t completely blind. Braille assists those who are unable to see, so they can visualise,” he says.
The challenge for him lay in writing exams as with every class, his eyesight grew weaker. Until Class 10, he would scribble answers, but still managed to get good marks. But thereafter, he took help from a writer to whom he would dictate his answers—he used one in his CAT exams too. What aided him was his superior memory. “While studying, my mother would recite me the chapters and I would memorise them.” Chhabra employed an effective tactic while preparing for his exams. He would take help from friends who were weak in studies so that he could explain what they would read to him.
