CHENNAI: CavinKare and Ability Foundation organised the 19th CavinKare Ability Awards for Achievers with Disabilities. These awards were presented to four outstanding achievers with disabilities, who brought forward their grit and courage to overcome hurdles in their journey to live life to the fullest. Selected from diverse fields, the recipients of this year’s edition were handpicked by an eminent panel of jury with the aim to recognise their zeal and verve in achieving significant milestones. Grammy and Academy Award winning musician
AR Rahman was the chief guest.
The recipients of CavinKare Ability Awards 2021 are as follows — The CavinKare Ability Award for Eminence was given to the founder of Nethrodaya, C Govindakrishnan, Chennai; and the CavinKare Ability Mastery Awards were given to banker, author and life coach GJ Siddharth, Bengaluru; Bharatanatyam dancer, patients’ and disability rights advocate Nandita Venkatesan from Mumbai; and India’s first bilateral amputee to be granted a permanent driving licence for car, Vikram Agnihotri from Indore.
Commenting on the occasion, CK Ranganathan, chairman and MD, CavinKarePvt. Ltd. said,“Every time I hand over the trophy to the most deserving person of the year, for their fight against all odds, their excellence and eminence gets redefined. I am so happy to be part of it. Every single moment of the award function, over the last 18 years, has been so inspiring. To witness their journey and the strength with which they have overcome hurdles, is encouraging and motivating. We have been able to harness all of this positive energy into a magnificent, grand event and showcase it to a large segment of audience this year through a virtual platform. By amplifying their achievements, we urge the world to celebrate all the recipients of this award and comply themselves to get inspired.”
Jayshree Raveendran, founder and executive director, Ability Foundation, added, “By bringing to the fore the extent to which people with disabilities can shine and stand out…given the right opportunities at the right time and an unbiased mind, these Awards stand out from the rest. To say that we have been able to change mindsets and dispel stereotypes these 18 years, would be an understatement. Ability Foundation has been steadfastly working towards bridging the divide between persons with and without disabilities and through these Awards, we hope to reach out to each and every one of you and march ahead towards an equal society.”