Tribute to differently abled

Chennai:

Her frail hands moved, her mouth was wide as she twitched and mumbled but her eyes had the spark as she was escorted in a wheelchair to the podium to win an award in recognition of defying conventional social and emotional dreams to realize her dreams.

Chennai girl Bhavana could neither walk nor talk after she was diagnosed with athetoid cerebral palsy when she was born but it was the spark in her eyes that expressed her willingness to break the emotional barriers to attain her dreams.

Using a unique eye-pointing chart to communicate to the audience after receiving the award from Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Mukul Wasnik, she said, “If you can imagine it, you can achieve it. If you can dream it. You can become it.”

And Bhavana is not the lone one to win the award, which is given to achievers with disability, Azeem Bolar from Karnataka and Riitesh Sinha from Karnal in Haryana won the Ability Masters Award while Mohammad Iqbal from Leh ladakh was felicitated with Ability Eminence Award at a glittering ceremony.

 Each had a tale and their battle to realize their dreams. For Bolar, it was twice the amount of strength to reach where he is today. Already battling with deteriorating vision as a result of juvenile arthritis, Azeem has to change his career from a successful hotelier to a counselor when a stroke rendered him completely blind and paralysed the left side of body. Undeterred Azeem fought every battle with remarkably optimistic attitude teaching himself how to walk, talk and write all again. And now he is the most sought after counselor in a software firm in Bangalore.

Similarly, Riitesh born with cerebral palsy was refused admission in most schools of his town but now he the one who has shaped many careers in the field of computer science.

But the night belonged to Mohammad Iqbal, who has been working relentlessly to ensure economic and social empowerment of persons with disabilities in Leh Ladakh through his organization People’s Action for Inclusion and Rights (PAGIR). After winning the Ability Eminence Award, Iqbal urged the minister to help build roads specially for the disabled.

The awards were also mixed with scintillating dance performance from Articulate India troupe, who are blind and Srilanka’s contemporary dance company Natanda, which comprises of young hearing impaired people. Actress Revathi, Jayshree Raveendran, founder and honorary executive director of Ability Foundation, CavinKare managing director C K Ranganathan were also present on the occasion.