Malathi Krishnamurthy Holla

Malathi Holla

Personal information
Native name	ಮಾಲತಿ ಕೃಷ್ಣಮೂರ್ತಿ ಹೊಳ್ಳ
Nationality	Indian
Born	6 July 1958 Bangalore, Karnataka, India

Malathi Krishnamurthy Holla (Kannada: ಮಾಲತಿ ಕೃಷ್ಣಮೂರ್ತಿ ಹೊಳ್ಳ) is an International para athlete from India. She was awarded Arjuna award and Padma Shri for her achievements. She was born on July 6, 1958 in Bangalore. Her father ran a small hotel, while her mother took care of their four children. A raging fever when she was one year old paralyzed Malathi's entire body. Electric shock treatment for more than two years saw little Malathi regaining strength in her upper body, but below the waist her body remained completely weak.

Notwithstanding the trials and turbulences that plagued her, Malathi decided to live life Queen Size, undaunted by the fury of fate. She chose sports as the best alternative medicine to forget her pain, and went on to become one of the most inspiring sports personalities of modern India.

With over 300 medals in her kitty, Malathi was conferred the prestigious Arjuna and Padma Shri Awards.^[1] She represented India in the Paralympics held in South Korea, Barcelona, Athens and Beijing; the Asian Games held in Beijing, Bangkok, South Korea and Kuala Lumpur; World Masters held in Denmark and Australia, Commonwealth Games in Australia and Open Championships in Belgium, Kuala Lumpur and England.

Her never-say-die attitude has been an eye-opener to many contemporary sports stars, who often refer to her as the Champion of Champions.

For the record, Malathi has so far undergone 32 surgeries.

Malathi works as a Manager with Syndicate Bank and shelters 16 children with various disabilities at Mathru Foundation — a charitable trust formed along with her friends. She focuses mainly on polio victims from rural areas, whose parents cannot afford to send their child to school or provide medical treatment.

Another record, she has the uncanny ability to remember 6000 customer account numbers.

Malathi Holla launched her first authorized biography A Different Spirit on July 8, 2009. Clearly, it was an evening that celebrated the triumph of the human spirit over physical handicap. “When I was small, I wanted to be first among my friends who used to run to the backyard to pick the fallen mangoes. I wanted to fly like a bird fearlessly from one place to another. But as I grew up I realised that you need legs to run and wings to fly. I was hurt, but I didn’t give up. I knew, one day, I would run…” says Malathi in the book.

“Thus I took up sports and decided to do something different in life. Yes, we are different and so even our lives should be a shining example of that difference,” she adds.

References

1. "Padma Awards" (PDF). Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. 2015. Retrieved July 21, 2015.