Jaora/ Indore: Born and brought up in a conservative family, Babli Gambhir has sailed through the hardships of life with a smile on her face and hopes in her heart. She has won more than 15 awards, 14 national and one international, including The Presidential Award, Women Pride Award, Dr Sarojini Naidu International Award and also has been engaged as brand ambassador of Swachh Survekshan-2023 by Jaora municipality. She was recently felicitated by Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan for her work in the field of women empowerment.
“Never be scared of challenges and never let crafty people dishearten your goals,” said Babli while speaking with Free Press.
‘Give her poison, she’ll always be a liability’, are the words that were always echoed in her house by her relatives. Gambhir was born with a rare medical condition where she didn’t have joints in both her elbows, with 2 fingers in her left hand and three in her right, her hands are 1/4th the size of a normal human hand.
After completing her Masters and various courses, she began working as a beautician and in no time became a perfectionist in her field.
Finally, after all the struggles, it was her time to shine.
In 2013, Gambhir was felicitated by the then President Pranab Mukherjee with ‘Outstanding Creative Adult Person Award (Female) during ‘National Awards for the Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities’ in New Delhi.
In 2014, she was felicitated with ‘Women Pride Award’ by actress Madhuri Dixit, Olympic medal-winning boxer and Rajya Sabha MP Mary Kom and novelist Shobha De.
In 2023, she was felicitated with the Dr Sarojini Naidu International Award. She was also felicitated by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan in Ratlam.
‘Never be afraid of any challenges and bring it on’ is Babli’s mantra in life.
Always shielding his little girl from the society, Gambhir’s late father believed that his child’s hands were nothing less than magical and motivated her to never give up.
With her own salon, this 57-year-old woman provides employment to many and also imparts her wisdom through various talk-shows and events and now has become a youth icon of the country. She rejected a government job to be a full-time beautician and become the master of her field. In this topsy-turvy world, her father’s last words, ‘Babli, never give up’, drives her to reach the skies.
