Five people from across India were recognised and honoured for breaking stereotypes and challenging the mindset of society towards disability at the 18th CavinKare Ability Awards.
“This award is a testimony for their perseverance, courage and desire to achieve great heights by overcoming barriers steadily,” said C.K.Ranganathan, Chairman and Managing Director of CavinKare.
This year, the CavinKare Ability Special Recognition Award was given to Anindya Bhattacharyya, who played a major role in the passage of the United States’ 21 st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act.
Someone born in a small village in West Bengal and left completely deaf-blind early on in his childhood, Anindya overcame numerous trials and challenges. He runs a digital online store, Bapin Group, and is the CEO of the company. He holds a full-time and consequential job as coordinator of the National Outreach Technology Development and Training Program at the Helen Keller National Center, NY.
Swarnalatha J., the founder of Swarga Charitable Trust from Coimbatore, bagged the CavinKare Ability Award for Eminence for creating accessible toilets on every platform of Indian Railways at Coimbatore Junction and 10 Government schools, making nine schools in Coimbatore wheelchair-friendly and setting up Tamil Nadu’s first wheelchair accessible transportation service. At 29, Swarnalatha was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. She then learnt to cope with the pain and reinvented herself to take on the world.
Two records
Adil Mohammed Nazir Ansari, who has two Limca records — one for the longest bike ride (300km) by a quadriplegic and another for driving on the Golden Quadrilateral on a modified car — won the CavinKare Ability Mastery Award.
Adil battled a spinal cord injury that left him paralysed neck down, with multiple infections and a bad bed sore, but he emerged a top sportsman and a world record holder. He has won the National Archery Championship title thrice and has represented India in para archery tournaments in China, the Czech Republic, Dubai and Netherlands.
Rakshitha Raju from Bengaluru, who received the CavinKare Ability Mastery Award, was the first Indian woman with blindness to have won gold medals in the track events at the Asian games 2018. She went on to win a Gold in the 1500m event at the Para Athletics Grand Prix in Paris (2018) and the Junior World Championship in Switzerland (2019). This trailblazing para athlete has qualified for the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics.
Tinkesh, who set a record when he bungee jumped from a height of 160m in Nepal, was given the CavinKare Ability Mastery Award. An electrical accident in his childhood and lack of good medical care left him a triple amputee with 90% disability — with no legs and just one arm. He is an athlete, swimmer, para cyclist, marathoner and a fitness and wellness coach for persons with and without disabilities.
