The world knows Dr. Vandana Sharma, Director of Mata Bhagwanti Chadha Niketan (MBCN) as a true. For those who know her, she is always punctual and diligent towards her job. But among the children of MBCN, she is a benevolent teacher who is loved by all. While accompanying her on one of her school rounds, we witnessed a selfless bond between Dr. Vandana and the students. To our surprise, she remembered names of each and every student at MBCN. We were surprised by her level of her involvement in the institution and connection with every child.

When we asked about how she connects with each and every student, she replied, “I can’t work with them unless I am personally connected with them. I don’t have to make efforts for the same. They are so innocent and affectionate that they find ways to stay connected with me. Some of them get upset if I don’t meet them. A student, Shilpa writes letters to convey her personal feelings to me every day when she finds me busy in office. Her happiness knows no bounds when she receives my response on her letters. I have got thousands of her letters in my office. It can’t be better rewarding than this.”

 After hearing about Shilpa, we got all the more curious about her driving force to be a #Waverider in the lives of 800+ students at MBCN. To this question, she replies, “The driving force behind this institution is the vision of our respected founder, Late Mr. Ponty Chadha. This institution was set-up as a tribute to his grand mother. He always trusted that these children should be loved and respected in the society as any other normal child. His vision is our inspiration and we are committed to work with lots of love for his noble mission.”

With the reference of Mr. Ponty Chadha, we asked Dr. Vandana Sharma to recall her memories with this philanthropist. She recalls, “I met him in the year 1999 when I joined him to start a centre for children with special needs. We started this school with 20 children. After that, it became a need based project for him. Waiting list for admission at MBCN kept increasing and his commitment to serve for this noble cause also got stronger day-by-day. Today, we try to bring a difference in the lives of 1000 children with special needs.

He never stopped anything for these children and never thought of limiting a budget for this service. He funded all the school requirements consistently. As an individual, he was gem of a person with a golden heart full of love. He never wanted any publicity for the great work he was doing. He used to enjoy every moment with these kids whenever he visited school. Though he is not there with us, but his vision of bringing a change in the lives of special children is still our driving force.”

 In response to how has MBCN changed her as a person, she says, “I was always interested in being involved in some kind of service, some kind of helping profession. I had an opportunity to work with special children during my graduation. My love and care towards them, along with many other reasons, made me feel that this was the ideal career for me. I got myself trained for the same. After 20 years of working I have realized now that it was my need to work for those people, who have the biggest need.”

 As the director of this special school, she is not only responsible for the future of the students, but is also a guiding light for the teachers. When asked about how she is guiding the teachers to bring a difference in students’ lives, she says, “Special teachers not only teach, but give their heart to the profession. I always tell my teachers to consider your job as a blessing where you can bring change in life of a special child. It is most rewarding to see a child who has been sidelined because of a learning disability being thankful to you for spending unpaid hours teaching him/her to make life worth living. It takes commitment, passion, dedication, honesty, concern, love and care to be successful in your own eyes.”

 As a renowned special educator, we asked her to give one tip to all the special educators in the country. In reply to this, she says, “Working with people with special needs can be tough but it is very rewarding. It is not easy to be a special educator but what is important is giving hope and bringing smile on the face of a special child. Keep reminding yourself why you chose to be a special educator. And never, never, never give up.”