What unfolded at the Tattvāloka Auditorium in Chennai was far from a routine event—it was a powerful showcase of resilience, skill, and ambition by persons with disabilities (PwDs).
From designing posters to mastering floral arrangements, participants at the South Zone Regional Abilympics demonstrated that ability goes far beyond limitations.
Stories That Define Determination
Among the participants was Ghulam Ahmed Raja, a 22-year-old aerospace engineering student with 50% visual impairment, who competed in desktop publishing with hopes of winning the competition.
Another inspiring participant, Sanchit Khule, a 100% visually impaired student at Indian Institute of Technology Madras, stepped beyond his coding background to participate in floral arrangement, discovering a new creative passion.
Platform for Skills, Recognition and Employment
Organised by the National Abilympics Association of India under the aegis of Sarthak Educational Trust, with support from The Hans Foundation, the event brought together over 60 PwDs on Day 1.
The competition spanned multiple vocational categories, including:
- ICT (desktop publishing, e-sports)
- Crafts (floral arrangement)
- Food (cooking, bakery)
- Services (tailoring, beauty therapy, jewellery)
- Architecture (CAD design)
Participants will advance to the National Abilympics, with top performers getting a chance to represent India at the International Abilympics 2020 in China.
Leadership Voices on Inclusion and Opportunity
The inaugural ceremony was attended by key dignitaries including:
- Banwarilal Purohit
- Dr. V. Saroja, Minister for Social Welfare, Tamil Nadu
- Krishan Kalra
- Jitender Aggarwal
Dr. Jitender Aggarwal, Founder & CEO of Sarthak, highlighted a major initiative:
“We aim to train over 5 lakh PwDs in southern India in agriculture and rural livelihood models. Around 65% of Divyangjan live in villages, and our focus is to enable sustainable rural employment.”
Governor Banwarilal Purohit emphasized the employment gap:
“PwDs form just 0.05% of the workforce in multinational companies, and even government mandates of 3% reservation see only 0.54% actual participation. Initiatives like these are critical to bridging this gap.”
Job Fair with Top Recruiters
A major highlight of Day 2 is a large-scale job fair, where 25+ companies are conducting recruitment drives for PwDs at the NSTI campus in Chennai.
