Success in life comes to those who acknowledge their shortcomings and move on. Not everyone is born perfect. But, when they live more admirably than others, they become a source of inspiration. They instruct us on how to follow the road to success. An angel who overcame her limitations despite being born without both arms is a message of how one must trust in one’s greatness.
Jilu Mol Marriet Thomas is a graphic designer, Mouth And Foot Painting Artist, Influencer and Youtuber. Jilu is a native of Thodupuzha in Idukki. Turning her passion into a profession, she is a graphic designer currently working in Viani Paintings.
Childhood
Jilu Mol was born as the second child of Thomas and Annakutty. Jilu is suffering from Thalidomide syndrome. Everyone around her wondered how she could move forward without two arms. But her father was confident in bringing her up. She lost her mother, who battled blood cancer when she was four and a half years old.
Education
After preschool, she spent her childhood in Changanassery at SD sister’s Mercy home for the disabled. They sent kids to school. She finished her schooling at Vazhappally’s St. Theresa’s Higher Secondary School and earned a degree in animation and graphic design from St. Joseph College of Communication. Jiliu is a girl who engages in everything with enthusiasm, and her friends always support her.
Inspiration
It was her grandmother who made her do things with her legs. Jilu later learned that legs are not just for walking. She started drawing and was encouraged by her school. The students referred to the nuns as “mothers,” who never discouraged these kids from doing anything. Today, Jilu can use her legs to do all the activities like using the computer, drawing, driving, and combing her hair.
Fascinated To Computers
She dreamed of becoming a software engineer. Thus she shared her dream with the nun in charge of her studies and began using computers. She aspired to study graphics and animation and joined the course. As it was not easy for her, with her determination and hard work, she completed the course with merit.
Job Search
After 15 years in Mercy home, she returned home and completed a diploma program while looking for work. She was turned down in several places because of her disability.
Trying Different Jobs
She was a graphic designer for Santhisoft Technology for six months. She worked as a graphic designer at Santhisoft Technology for six months. After working as an office assistant in a hospital, she later joined Viani Paintings in Ernakulam.
Passion For Driving
Her desire to be in the driving seat gradually grows with her. In 2014, she applied for a driving licence. They asked her to produce a xerox of the driving right of an armless Indian citizen. In 2016, she came across such a person, Vikram Agnihotri, a native of Indore. Jilu knew that she could only get a driving licence through the court. When she told a priest about her desire to get a driving licence, he introduced her to a lawyer, who filed a case in the High Court in 2018. Thus the court ordered her to begin the process.
Consequently, she applied for the learners and as per the guidance of RTO, she bought a car and changed it as per her requirements. She started the registration work in 2018, but a vehicle inspector refused to register that vehicle in her name. She proceeds with the case. If successful, she will be the first woman in India without using her hands to get a driving licence.
MFPA
Jilu is a member of the Mouth and Foot Painting Artist Association. She conducts exhibitions with MFPA. For her, she is surrounded by a group of people with positive thoughts, which fuels her to move forward.
Honour
She was awarded the “Best Painter of the Year Award 2021” by the MFPA, the “youth icon award,” and the “Junior Helen Keller Award in Painting.” Jilu played the lead role in her life-based motivational album “Chiraku” and initiated the journey as a dubbing artist in the Malayalam film industry by dubbing five characters in the O T T-released film “Three Days’’.
With her hard work and courage, Jilu Thomas overcame her disability, inspiring many people. Jilu proves that defects are not of the body, It occurs only in the mind. Defying the restrictions imposed by a section of society, she motivates everyone with her life. Jillu emphasises that their shortcomings are not their fault and are capable in one way or the other. She admonishes everyone to stop wallowing in their shortcomings and instead use them as fuel to succeed. For her, we all have a special place in the world, and that’s why we’re here. This angel moves forward with her dreams, energising and strengthening them with her legs.
Credits and References
https://www.udayavani.com/english-news/jilumol-mariet-thomas-an-inspiration