Story Telllers

 Preethi Srinivasan was born in 1979 and grew up in Tamil Nadu, India. She displayed a keen interest in sports from a young age and went on to become the captain of the under-19 Tamil Nadu women’s cricket team, leading them to the national championships in 1997 at the age of just 17. Preethi was also a successful swimmer, having won a state gold in 50 m breaststroke and a silver medal in other events.

After graduating from Upper Merion Area High School in Pennsylvania, USA, in 1997, Preethi returned to India and continued her studies through a Bachelor correspondence course in Medical Sociology from the University of Madras. However, tragedy struck when she was involved in a swimming accident that left her quadriplegic.

Despite the challenges she faced, Preethi remained determined to make a positive impact on the world. Along with her mother, Mrs. Vijayalakshmi Srinivasan, she co-founded Soulfree, a foundation that champions the causes of restoring, rehabilitating, and re-integrating those with spinal cord injuries and spreads awareness on its prevention among Indian youth. Through her work with Soulfree, Preethi aims to transform the lives of people with disabilities and provide them with the support they need to lead fulfilling and independent lives.

Preethi’s achievements have not gone unnoticed. She has been recognized with numerous awards for her work, including the Vijay TV’s “Sigaram Thotta Pengal – Ray of Hope” award, Raindropss’ “Woman Achiever of the Year 2014” award, and the Femina “Penn Sakthi” award bestowed upon the top 10 most influential women in Tamil Nadu for the year 2014. She has also received the Envisage ability award 2014, Sudesi magazine’s “Dhruva award” for excellence in social work, and the Rotary’s highest award “For the Sake of Honour”. In addition, she was given the “Agent of change” Award from district Rotaract Council (Rotary International district 3230) for the year 2014–15 and the Kalpana Chawla award from Tamil Nadu CM.

Despite her physical limitations, Preethi continues to inspire others through her talks on disability issues and her passion for music, art, films, and literature. She credits her mother as a constant source of encouragement and backing and hopes to continue making a positive impact on the world through her work with Soulfree.