Deepa Malik (born 30 September 1970) is an Indian athlete who won a silver medal in the F-53 shot put category with a lifetime personal best of 4.61 meters at the Rio Summer Paralympics. 2016, making her the first Indian woman to medal at the Paralympics. . She also won gold in the F 53/54 javelin event at the Dubai Para Athletics Grand Prix in 2018 and is currently world number one in the F-53 category. She has participated in the Himalayan Raid, one of the toughest motor sports in India. It includes eight continuous days of riding and 1,700 km of driving in sub-zero temperatures that included a climb to 18,000 feet (5,500 m).

The daughter of veteran infantry Colonel BK Nagpal, wife of veteran Colonel Bikram Singh and mother of two adult daughters, Deepa is India’s first paraplegic cyclist, swimmer, car driver, businesswoman and motivational speaker. She is a paraplegic, paralyzed from the waist down. She has faced 183 stitches between shoulder bladders and 3 spring and tumor surgeries in the last 14 years. Deepa was diagnosed with a spinal tumor at the age of 8, her recovery took 3 years. In 1999, while her husband was in Kargil, her tumor relapsed and the doctors had no choice but to operate on her, she was in a coma for 25 days. After the surgeries, she underwent almost 6 years of physical therapy to prepare her to begin her career as a swimmer and later as a para-athlete. Today, she has more than 53 national medals (47 gold, 5 silver, 2 bronze) and 13 international medals in various sports, including swimming, javelin throw, and shot put. She holds 4 Limca world records. She is the first paraplegic to receive a rally license for a rally vehicle and also receives an official rally license from the Federation Motor Sports Club of India (FMSCI). She is the only Indian woman to medal in 3 consecutive Asian Paralympics and set a new Asian record at the 2018 Asian Paralympics.

He began taking the sport seriously at the age of 36. At the age of 45, she is the country’s oldest member of the Paralympics. She is the recipient of Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award, President Role Model Award, Arjuna Award, Padma Shri Award, First Ladies-Ministry of Women and Child Development Award, and many more. She is also a ‘Clean India’ brand ambassador for NMDC (National Minerals Development Corporation).

life lesson– You are never too old to start learning and you are never too young to aim high and achieve great things. You’re never too old to dream, too –

• learn new arts or hobbies

• follow your passion

• build your skills

• discover your talents,

• start a new business/career,

• light up your spirit

• start the job you love.

It is never too late for a new beginning in our life or to start over, in fact, for everything.