Judo Champion, Sudama, becomes Collector for a Day in Katni

At 21 years of age, Sudama was given the opportunity to become a one-day District Collector of Katni, Madhya Pradesh on International Women’s Day. Sudama is also a member of the Organisation of Persons with Disabilities (OPD) supported under Sightsavers’ Social Inclusion Programme.

Sudama was born with visual impairment, which her family believed meant that she would never be able to lead an independent life. However, a few years ago, Sudama’s life changed dramatically thanks to a self-defence and judo training project run by Sightsavers and its local partner, Tarun Sanskar.

After joining the training programme, Sudama quickly excelled at judo, and soon started competing at national championships in India. Sudama has won 5 medals between the year 2017 and 2021 for Para Judo National Championship.

In the present day, by being an active OPD member, Sudama is effortlessly working towards the improvement in accessibility of services that are meant for persons with disabilities.