#19 I never thought I'd ever be referred to as an author... Cover pages are very important for any book. However informative/interesting the content is, ONLY cover pages can help to give the best first impression, particularly front page. When the publisher asked me to share a few pics for the front cover, I was in a dilemma. As the name of the book title is 'Swimming Against the Tide' and I am a swimmer myself, I thought my pic while swimming might be a good choice. But I al

#18 I never thought I'd ever be referred to as an author... In the next stage, I had to arrange all the required photos for the book. I had only a few photos for the period related to my childhood, schooling, and college times. Right now whenever we want, we can click a pic with our smartphones. In those days this was not the situation. If we wanted to take a photo, we had to go to a photo studio only. And also affordability was also an issue. Hence I wanted to take the suppo

#17 I never thought I'd ever be referred to as an author... Usually, SAGE Publishers don’t publish biographies. But after a review of my unedited draft manuscript, they felt my story was worth telling and considered my proposal positively. That was truly a wonderful moment in my life! For a first time writer like me, getting the acceptance for my very first proposal from an internationally renowned publisher like SAGE was an unbelievable news! Each publisher usually has their

#16th I never thought I'd ever be referred to as an author... My friend Saundarya told me that we need to have a book proposal to approach a publisher. I thought I had sufficient time to go for it and didn’t work on it. I had gone through some templates and realised that preparing the proposal would be a more challenging task than writing the book itself 😃 The book proposal usually consists of whole book synopsis, chapter-wise synopsis, author's bio, etc. With the support o

#15th I never thought I'd ever be referred to as an author... At every stage I faced dilemmas about choosing amongst several options after completing the first draft, dad and sister Mythreyi read it again and provided their feedback chapter wise. I made changes wherever I felt they were required. While writing some of the experiences I had excluded the details which seemed trivial to me as I viewed it from the perspective of someone in the situation and not from oustide of it

#14th I never thought I'd ever be referred to as an author... Simultaneously while writing the manuscript, I spoke to some of my writer friends about further steps. They told me to think about publishing the book –either by myself or through a publisher. I got two different types of suggestions. Some friends advised self-publishing as it would be difficult to get acceptance from publishers for a first-time writer like me. They also said it would be time-consuming to work w

For me, sitting for long hours is the biggest challenge brought by severe spine compression. With office work + writing the book + WBFI work + giving talks on various virtual platforms, I often suffer from acute back pain. My family members strongly advised me against writing continuously and encouraged breaks. But when in the mood to write with the train of thoughts flowing naturally, I hate to break it despite aching hands. My friend Raja suggested applications that conv

#12th I never thought I'd ever be referred to as an author... Finally I decided to write my story myself. I realized narrating my story to someone else would take just as much time! I started writing my book on 20th May, 2021. In the beginning, I couldn't choose the best way to present my story. I wonder whether to go in chronological order of events or to go theme-wise. After discussing with Dad, my sister and a few well-wishers, I decided to go with a mixture of both and do

#11th I never thought I'd ever be referred to as an author... I accepted invitations for virtual talks. One of those invitations was from my well-wishers AVIS Viswanathan and Vaani. They arranged a program along with the Madras Management Association. During my talk there, someone in the audience asked if I was writing my autobiography. When I said that I wasn't owing to my busy schedule, he suggested that I start writing as he believed that it could inspire many. Another pe

I thought I'd ever be referred to as an author... By the end of 2019, we started to hear about a new virus that was spreading in China. By February, 2020 news was out that the deadly virus was spreading rapidly and was even found in India. In the second week of March 2020, I was all prepared to go to Mussoorie to deliver a talk at Lal Bahadur Shastry National Academy of Administration LBSNAA to address the IAS officers who were attending their mid career development training

I never thought I'd ever be referred to as an author... One day my niece Sahithi Kurapati gave me a pleasant surprise by giving me a unique birthday gift. She was just in her early teen years. She wrote a small story about me and also explained how my swimming inspired her and presented it to me. All our family members appreciated her idea and felt very happy with her nice gesture. From that time, my parents, siblings and Prathigudupu Jayaprakasaraju uncle started insisting I

It's almost here! Overwhelmed with joy at the release of my book. I'm most excited about the possibilities it may open up for those who will read it and become part of this movement in creating a more equitable and inclusive world. A big thank you to my publishers - SAGE Publications India and all my supporters and well-wishers. This is a journey that so many people made it possible. Thank you all! PC: Asad Abid Kedar Sonigra Anand Daga @The Vibe Studios #MadhaviLathaPrathigu

I never thought I'd ever be referred to as an author... Awareness about sports for persons with disabilities is very minimal. Particularly when I entered into swimming competitions in 2011, the situation was not like the present day. To create more awareness, I started blogging and later created a Facebook account too. These were very new for me. I didn't have any idea about how social media works, but I wrote posts straight from my heart. I used to write about the participan

In my childhood, my family tried a lot to make me do exercises to keep me fit. As a child, I hated to do them. I found them boring. But now after participating in sports and experiencing the fun and happiness it brings, I feel that if I was exposed to sports rather than exercises those days, I’d have done it happily. I would have maintained fitness, too, fulfilling my parents' expectations. I believe that sport is a powerful motivator for people to lead an active life (for an

Alone, we can only support a few people. But together we can extend our support to many more. Over the years, especially with regards to my social activities, I have been approaching many people. Initially, I approached them via phone calls/emails. My communication became clearer as I put my thoughts and passion on paper, as I wrote to many of these contacts. The fire in me to create an inclusive environment drove me to perfect my communication skills. In the process, many p

I was in my late thirties when the doctor told me that my remaining life span would only be one year due to severe spine compression. After trying various treatments, I found a ray of hope in hydrotherapy! I’m ever grateful to Ananda Jothi for introducing me to a new lease of life. My encounter with water through hydrotherapy made me a national para swimming champion at the age of 40 years!!!! The benefits of sports encouraged me to start the movement "Yes, We Too Can !!!" to

Like any other person with a disability, I too faced challenges in getting a job. After a while, I secured a job in a public sector bank. After a few years, when I became eligible for the next level, I appeared for the written test and got through it. I was rejected at the interview. I came to know (through an unofficial source) that I was not selected due to my disability. Next time, to prove myself, I prepared rigorously by going through many books thoroughly to face the te

I never thought I'd ever be referred to as an author... I started writing some poetry (kavithas) in my childhood. My family was amused with my childish thoughts and would share them with our friends and guests. I remember whenever my uncle visited us in those days, he'd tease me with every little paper that he found in our home asking me, "Is this your poetry?" :) After a while, I stopped writing (don’t exactly remember why) but I never stopped reading. That was the exte

Swimming against the tide - True Story of Para Swimmer Madhavi Latha Prathigudupu By Madhavi Latha Prathigudupu I never thought I'd ever be referred to as an author.... I remember my dad always encouraged me to read books from a wide variety of genres, throughout my childhood. My mom taught us the Telugu alphabet before going to school itself. The moment I was able to read, I started reading short stories. After seeing my interest in reading books, my dad started bringing sto