“Many people repent over what they do not have. They do not see what life has already given them. If you keep on focusing on what you have lost in life, you will not be able to move forward. Use what you have and work with determination to bring out the best of yourself through those means”
She had physical sufferings of her own. But instead of grieving about them, she chose to draw lessons from them and reach out to others with a similar or worse plight. Having being deprived of three limbs from birth, Rashmi Nimesha Gunawardhana, began her battle with life by possessing only her left leg. But that is not what defines her.
The 16 year old student of Eheliyagoda Central College had excelled in academics and musical talents against all odds. A bundle of courage, determination and confidence, Rashmi sat for the G C E Ordinary Level examination in 2018 and passed it with eight As and a B.
The gifted young lass, an old girl of Deraniyagala Primary School, was the only student to pass the grade five scholarship examination at the school when she sat for it in 2012. This opened doors for her to enter Eheliyagoda Central College.
Rashmi’s life story is one which will inspire thousands of children. Though she is tasting the success of her hard work at the moment, her life has not been a bed of roses from childhood. Each day had been a part of a learning process in which she tries to master the daily activities that children with two hands and two legs engage in.
“When I reached the age when I was suppose to start going to preschool, my father brought a Montessori school teacher to our house. Kanthimala teacher trained me on how to handle the toes on my leg. We started off with basic activities like making paper balls. She gradually got me to engage in other things like writing by holding a pencil or pen by using my toes,” Rashmi explained.
Rashmi’s parents are teachers at her school. Her father, Sarath Gunawardhana, teaches agriculture, while her mother, Dhammika, is the school’s music teacher. She has a sister, Ramseha.
Being in touch with music from a tender age it is natural that Rashmi developed a passion for music. She plays the keyboard with the toes on her left leg but her talent for music lies in her ability to sing.
She has five songs to her name. Sudusu Kenek Nathnam was released in 2014 and it was her debut song. Penned by Dr Praneeth Abeysekara and set to melody by Navaratne Gamage the song captivated masses due to Rashmi inimitable voice. Landu Deni Vala, Ira Handa Tharu – a duet with Dumal Warnakulasooriya, Paata Paata Heena Wala and Mal Vasi followed. Chaminda Ratnasooriya, Ranjith Rupasinghe, Saman Chandranath Weerasinghe, and Upamalike G Hewage have written the lyrics for her songs. Music directors like Nadeeka Guruge, Dharshana Ruwan Dissanayake, Navaratne Gamage and Mahinda Bandara have set her songs to melody.
She had presented three concerts ‘Sarasi Gee Dahana’ in which the music had been directed by Nalaka Sajee Jayasinghe. The first show was held at her school in 2017. The second was held at Deraniyagala Sirisaman National School while the third musical show was held at Avisawella Town Hall in 2018. She sang around 16 songs at the show starting with her songs at each show.
Despite her physical shortcomings Rashmi is very much an ordinary young girl. She does not like to be treated as a special student. It is her inborn gifts which mark her out as exceptional. Her melodious voice makes her a gifted singer. Her ability to speak unbashfully in front of a crowd singles her out as a presenter. She had been the presenter for many events organized by her school including the school’s Sports Meets for which she had stood up on her feet all day without a complaint.
Much loved and admired among her peers Rashmi has always scored over 80 percent for subjects like Mathematics, Science, IT, Commerce and English. Therefore her teachers and parents had no doubt that she would ace her G C E Ordinary Level examination.
Recalling her experience of winning a gold medal at the Global IT Challenge tournament, Rashmi says that she and a team of three other students from various parts of the island got the opportunity to fly to Vietnam in September 2017.
“The national competition was conducted by the Education Ministry. We had to write answers to a paper before engaging in a practical test for the event. An interview followed and we then they decided whom to send for the competition abroad. The practicals involved making presentations using computer software like Powerpoint, Excel etc. They selected the best competitor from each of these categories at the Global IT Challenge. Two winners were chosen for the Super Challenge title which means that they are all rounders. The other Super Challenge winner was from Pakistan,” she said adding that they had to compete with students from around 14 countries to clinch the title.
Asked about her most memorable moment from the whole experience, Rashmi breaks into a smile.
“The flight to Vietnam was exciting. It was the first time that I have gotten into a plane,” she enthused.
A guiding light for many differently abled children and an example to people of all ages, Rashmi is currently engaged in making speeches about positive thinking. This is part of the new series of concerts that she presents called ‘Rashmi Dahara’. The first show was held in Rathnapura on April 4. More Rashmi Dahara concerts had been planned but had come to a temporary halt due to the prevailing situation of the country. The funds of these concert go to Rashmi Nimesha Courageous Fund which has been set up to raise money to get a robotic prosthetic hand for her.
Rashmi is hoping to follow studies in the commerce stream for her G C E Advanced Level examination. She has selected economics, accounting and IT. Her ambition is to engage in further studies in the management field and obtain a degree on the subject.
“Many people repent over what they do not have. They do not see what life has already given them. If you keep on focusing on what you have lost in life, you will not be able to move forward. Use what you have and work with determination to bring out the best of yourself through those means. Then you will be able to grasp many of the things you thought you have lost,” she opined.
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