She was diagnosed with dyslexia at a tender age of 10, but Breena Pandher was determined not to allow the learning and reading disorder to in any way negatively impact the course of her life. With her grit and determination, Breena, all of 16 now, is excelling both in studies and in multiple sports, thus proving to be a role model for youngsters.
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This Strawberry Fields High School Chandigarh student recently scored 89.2 percent marks in her 10th class boards. She has already excelled in multiple sports, representing Chandigarh in the National School Games in basketball and shooting, a sport which runs deep in her family (three generations have already won repute in the sport).
For the teenager socialising is last on the agenda as her life revolves around reading, meditation, social work and shooting. Pursuing her dream of one day representing India in the Olympics in the sport, she has chosen the same event as India’s only individual Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra did – 10 metre air rifle – with the same coach, Lt. Col JS Dhillon, who helped the Olympian in his formative years, as her mentor.
This is great going for a girl traumatised by the insensitivity with which society treated her in her impressionistic tender age for not being able to correctly write what she was learning. “People made fun of me and it was humiliating for me as a child. I dreamed of becoming a school prefect one day but was denied participation in school debates and other co-curricular activities because of the taboo and stigma attached to my ‘mental condition’.
“Naturally, I hated this kind of treatment meted out to me, which I strongly believed I did not deserve, and therefore reacted very aggressively. But after the disorder was diagnosed and I received professional counselling my feelings and personality began to gradually transform in a positive way. I accepted the disorder as a truth of my life and stopped belittling myself for it. Reading, meditation and indulging in sports activities helped me gain in confidence which changed my outlook towards life.”
Her mother Ravee, who runs a creditable NGO by the name Samarpan Foundation which takes care of underprivileged children in Panchkula, says the love she has received while engaging with these children from a very young age has also helped her tremendously in overcoming her challenges and moving on in life.
“I have no hesitation in admitting that coming from a conservative Sikh family, it was initially very difficult for us also to accept our daughter’s learning and reading disorder. But with professional counselling, as Breena gained in confidence, and her personality started to blossom, all the doubts dissipated. We no longer tried to hide Breena’s disorder. Today we are fully supportive of all her pursuits, whether academic or in the sports field, and are more than confident that she will excel in whatever she does,” says the doting mother emphatically.
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