Hachette India

Grit: The Vishwas Story

Vishwas K.S.

V.R. Ferose

Sriram Jagannathan

Para-Swimmer. Martial Artist. Dancer.

Vishwas dons many hats, and he dons them well.

At ten, when he loses his arms in a tragic accident, the sudden and debilitating limitations zap the light from his world. Things that required little to no effort are now traumatizing, challenging and downright impossible. Heartbreak insidiously colours Vishwas's adolescence – every day a constant reminder of what could have been. But bright lights dot his gloomy skies. With the support and love he receives from his family, friends and coaches, he evolves into a formidable force. And on his way to building a legacy as a successful para-swimmer, the Bengaluru wunderkind unwittingly inspires those wading through the tricky rapids of life.

Grit: The Vishwas Story is an illustrated ode to a man who surpasses unimaginable hardships and comes out the other end with integrity, optimism and gratitude. This powerful and tender tale will break your heart and put the pieces back together with a hopeful, life-affirming touch.

Vishwas K.S.

Vishwas K.S. is an international para-swimming champion, motivational speaker, dancer and martial artist. He has represented India in prestigious para-swimming competitions and has secured numerous medals. In 2016, he won two silver and one bronze at the Speedo Can Am Para-Swimming Championships held in Ottawa, Canada. He followed this successful streak by landing another bronze at the IDM Berlin Para Swimming German Open in 2017 and 2018. At the National Para Swimming Competition in Udaipur, he won a gold and two silver. He then took the count higher by winning five gold medals at the Indian Open Swimming Competition, Bengaluru, in 2018.

Vishwas has been conferred several prestigious state, national and international awards – most notably the Special Golden Achiever Award by AUGP, US; National Role Model Award by the former vice president of India (2018); Kempegowda Award; the Vishweshwariah Ratna Award; and the Shoorveer Award by Ample Mission, Mumbai. He hopes to live a life of dignity, self-reliance, and financial independence. It is his deep desire to initiate public dialogue around disability and bring substantial change in the world. He currently lives in Bengaluru with his wife, Lakshmi, and his daughter, Prashasti. The royalties from the sale of this book will go to his family.

(Email: vishwasks303@gmail.com; Instagram: @vishwasksvishu; Mobile: +91 9972530303)

V.R. Ferose

V.R. Ferose is the founder of the India Inclusion Foundation, a Bengaluru-based nonprofit that aims to bring inclusion to the forefront in all sectors across India. He has co-authored several bestsellers, most notably The Invisible Majority: India’s Abled Disabled, Gifted: Inspiring Stories of People with Disabilities, and the GRIT series. Ferose has been included in various international lists of significance, such as ‘India’s Top 40 under 40’ in 2014 by Economic Times and Spencer Stuart, and was conferred ‘Young Global Leader’ in 2012 by the World Economic Forum. He currently heads the SAP Academy for Engineering in San Ramon and writes the bi-weekly column ‘Flyleaf’ for The New Indian Express. A passionate bibliophile, he has over three thousand rare books in his collection and is a member of The Grolier Club. In June 2023, he joined the board of the California publishing house Heyday Books.

Sriram Jagannathan

Sriram Jagannathan is a writer, illustrator and designer from Chennai. He is a consultant and mentor in the User Experience space for digital products and helps organizations by advocating for design thinking to C-suite players. His experience in design spans multiple spheres – fashion, textile design, web-based courseware, animation branding, sportswear and graphic novels. The threads that connect his many ventures are creativity and storytelling, his first love. He is also a firm believer in the power of art and design to transform how we experience the world. Sriram is the author of two graphic novels: Mai, published by Notion Press in 2018, and Grit: The Major Story, published by Hachette India in 2019. This is his third book. (Email: sriramjag@gmail.com; Instagram: @sriramjag)