SYAM KUMAR

My name is Syam Kumar S.S. and my story begins in a quiet corner of Kerala not with applause, but with pain. I was born with a list of medical conditions that could fill a hospital chart: a deformed right leg, a spinal tumour, scoliosis, and a rare duplex kidney system. I had my first major surgery before I was even a month old. The doctors said I'd live with limitations. Life said I couldn't run, jump, or chase dreams.

But I chose differently.

At the age of 8, after years of physical discomfort and endless medical procedures, I made a decision no child should have to make I chose to amputate my right leg. Not out of defeat, but out of a deep, determined drive to take control of my life. That decision gave me something far more powerful than a limb: it gave me purpose.

Growing up with a prosthetic leg meant I had to relearn how to move, how to balance, how to live. But more than that, I had to relearn how to believe in myself, in strength, in freedom. While many saw disability, I saw opportunity. I started cycling. At first, it was just a way to build strength. But it became something more. It became my training ground, my therapy.

While battling severe health issues including kidney failure I cycled hundreds of kilometers. 230 km in a day. 1,000 km solo across Kerala. No crowd. No spotlight. Just me, my bike, and a fierce belief that what was possible for my body was failing, my will never did. But the road, as vast as it was, wasn't enough. I wanted the sky.

In November 2023, I took the biggest leap of my life literally. I became the youngest person to perform a solo skydive from 13,000 ft with a prosthetic leg. As I fell through the clouds, something else fell away too: the years of doubt, pain, and fear. Up there, I wasn't just a survivor. I was free.

That skydive wasn't the end. It was just the beginning.

In January 2024, I earned my certification as a paragliding pilot, another milestone in my pursuit to redefine what's possible for someone like me. I'm also an amateur drone pilot, a storyteller, and someone who believes that limits exist only until you choose to break them. Today, I'm not just chasing records. I'm chasing the sky, chasing my dreams, chasing every dream they told me I couldn't have. My mission is bigger than me I want to prove that disability is not a weakness but a different kind of strength. I want to inspire others like me to dream bigger, move faster, fall harder and get up stronger.

My name is Syam Kumar . And I'm not here to be pitied.
I'm here to fly.