Malathi Krishnamurthy Holla from India is an international para athlete, who has over 300 medals in her belt including the prestigious Arjuna and Padma Shri Awards. She was left paralysed from the waist down when she was only a year old and through sheer grit and determination, Malathi Krishnamurthy Holla overcame all the obstacles in her life.

Early Life of Malathi Krishnamurthy Holla
Born on 6th July, 1968 in Bengaluru in the Indian state of Karnataka, Malathi"s father was a small time hotelier and her mother was a housewife who took care of Malathi and her other three siblings. From an early age of about 1 year old, Malathi was paralyzed by a fever. As a result, she had to undergo electric shock treatment for more than 2 years, which eventually improved her upper body strength. So far, she had undergone 34 surgeries and is currently one of the fastest female Indian athletes on a wheelchair.

Career of Malathi Krishnamurthy Holla
In her lifetime, Malathi Krishnamurthy Holla has won 389 golds, 27 silvers and 5 bronzes at national and international events. In Seoul 1988, Malathi Krishnamurthy Holla participated in her first Paralympic Games and represented India. Since then, Malathi has represented India in several other Paralympic Games in Barcelona, Athens and Beijing; and the Asian Games in Beijing, Bangkok, South Korea and Kuala Lumpur. She was the first differently abled person to receive the Padma Shri Award in 2001. She has also received the KK Birla Award and Eklavya Award from the Karnataka Government in 1995 and was named Woman of the Year in 1999 by the American Biographical Institute. In the same year, Malathi Krishnamurthy Holla was also named the International Woman of the Year by the International Biographical Centre of Cambridge.

Personal Life of Malathi Krishnamurthy Holla
Presently, Malathi Krishnamurthy Holla works with the Syndicate Bank as a Manager. She has also established a charitable trust titled Mathru Foundation along with her friends where she shelters 16 children with various disabilities. Mostly she focuses on polio victims belonging to rural areas who cannot afford schooling or proper medical treatment. Malathi also has the unique ability to remember 6000 customer account numbers. On 8th July 2009 she launched her first authorized biography titled A Different Spirit, which has inspired handicapped people to rise up and achieve something great in life.