Somewhere in the town of Bhaktapur in Nepal, lived a girl called 
, who loved to dance. Having picked up the steps of Nepali cultural folk dance, she tapped her feet to Bollywood songs sitting in front of her television.
Her life changed at the age of 16.
It started as an allergy, made her eyes itch and turn red. The doctor who treated her prescribed the wrong medicine, and Sristi was diagnosed with glaucoma, causing her to turn blind at the age of 16. She did not lose her spirit. She topped the university in her +2, and won the gold medal from the President of Nepal, Dr Ram Baran Yadav.
Her passion for dance and her dreams brought her to India last year.
“I came to join Kanthari (an educational institute in Thiruvananthapuram, an extension of Braille Without Borders) to develop a project I have in mind, called 'Blind Rocks'. Because I want to rock the blind through fashion shows and adventure programmes, and empower them with communication skills," says the 24-year-old.
Her dream project is not restricted to Nepal. “I am going to Russia in January for an international conference and will present the project. I will come back to India later."
Her three-tier project plan includes teaching inter-personal skills, conducting dance, fashion and beauty shows and also organising adventure sports like rafting, rock climbing and paragliding for the blind.
“I have rafted once in Nepal," says the young dancer who is known as a 'dancing poet' in her country, because she writes poems too.
Sristi uses her imagination to continue dancing after she lost sight. Sometimes her friends help her learn dance by holding her hand. She picks up new steps listening to the tapping sound of her teacher's feet or else the teacher draws the steps in her hand.
In Thiruvananthapuram, she met Faizal of Codered Dance Academy and is learning more Bollywood dance numbers.
“I like fast moves and dancing to fast beat songs." She danced to "Chikni Chameli" recently, she says cheerfully.
