To empower people with disabilities, a Divyanjan Sammnan Samaroh was held on January 8, 2023, at the at Galgotia College of Engineering and Technology (GCET) auditorium in Gautam Budh Nagar.
According to a Press release issued by Samdrishti Kshamta Vikas evam Anusandhaan Mandal (SAKSHAM) Meerut Praant, under whose aegis the event was held, the ceremony aimed to “applaud, appreciate and honour 10 selected divyangjan role models and achievers from U.P. and six senior social workers and star contributors working towards the cause of disability empowerment in India”.
The young achievers and role-models among the divyangjan included Kanchan Khanna (Literature Moradabad) Gajendra Pal (Sports), Gautam Budh Nagar; Satya Prakash (Entrepreneur/Start-up) from Kashi; Anant Vaish (Technology), Kanpur; Ritu Saini (Acid Attack Victim/Model/Actress) from Noida; Abhinav Chaudhary (Dance/Arts and Entertainment), Ghaziabad; Vidisha Balyan (Sports/Beauty Queen/Arts & Entertainment), Ghaziabad; Chandan Kumar Singh (Sports), Kashi; Vikki Bhati (Sports), Gautam Budh Nagar and Amit Chaurasia (Entrepreneur/Start-up) from Kashi.
Those feted in the category of senior contributors towards the cause of disability and eminent social work include Gurbinder Singh (Social Service), Moradabad, Suvarna Raj (Sports) Gautam Budh Nagar; Gautam Pal (Social Service), Gautam Budh Nagar; Dr Manju Gupta (Social Service), Ghaziabad; Dr. Mange Ram (Social Service), Gautam Budh Nagar and Col R P Nadella (Retd), Founder Chairman i30 Learning Centre.
The guests of honour at the event included Dr Dayal Singh Panwar, Rashriya Sanrakshak (National Patron), Saksham; Kamla Kant Pandey, Rashtriya Maha-Sachiv (National General Secretary, Saksham; Lalit Pant, Uttrakhand Praant Adyaksh, Saksham; Col Rajendra Prasad Nadella (Retd), Founder Chairman, i30 Learning Centre; Gautam Pal and Manju Gupta – both nominated members of Divyang Salahkaar Board U.P.
After the Deep Prjawalan by the guests of honour and Saraswati Vandana, a cultural entertainment programme was performed by the awardees. First in the entertainment programme was a slow and touchy dance performance by Abhinav Chaudhary on the famous song ‘Maa’ from ‘Taare Zameen Par’. He is a 24-year-old man suffering from Down’s Syndrome who has performed in reality TV shows like Dance India Dance and India’s Got Talent, and also featured in a Google Ad. Second in sequence was a patriotic song ‘Mera Rang De Basant Chola’ by Wasim from Varanasi, who has represented UP Divyang Cricket Team. Next in line was a recital by Sardar Gurbinder Singh who first spoke on the importance of eye and body donations and sung a self-composed song on the topic.
Amit Kumar Ghosh, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, while addressing the audience, praised the efforts of Saksham towards the welfare of divyangjan community and also made a special mention of Kanchan Khanna (Locomotor Disability, Poetess and Author) and Ritu Saini (Acid Attack Victim, Fashionista and Actress), who were on the list of awardees.
