The Hindu : New Delhi News : Heroes honoured with Helen Keller Awards ’07

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Dec 03, 2007
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New Delhi

Heroes honoured with Helen Keller Awards ’07

Staff Reporter

— Photo: V.V. Krishnan

WINNERS: (from the left) Raghunatha Reddy, V. Janaki, (Andhra Pradesh) and N. Shahul Hameed (Puducherry) receive the Helen Keller Awards-2007 from Union Panchayati Raj Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar at a function held at India International Centre in New Delhi on Sunday.

— Photo: V.V. Krishnan

— Photo: V.V. Krishnan

NEW DELHI: On the eve of World Disability Day, the 9th National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People-Shell Helen Keller Awards-2007 were presented at a function at India International Centre here on Sunday.

This year, Raghunatha Reddy and V. Janaki of Andhra Pradesh, N. Shahul Hameed of Puducherry and Javed Ahmad Tak of Jammu and Kashmir were awarded for being role models among differently-abled persons.

Although he tragically lost both his hands in a railway accident at the young age of 15, Raghunatha did not get disheartened. He started writing with his right leg and completed his degree in law followed by a Masters degree in Arts in first division.

Janaki, who was just three months old when her parents abandoned her because she had a defective ear, has been instrumental in forming 50 self-help groups of differently-abled women in Tippathi, a “mandal” of Nalgonda district. Although Javed, a wheelchair user, couldn’t reach the function because of bad weather conditions in his State, he received a special word of praise from the Union Panchayati Raj Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar himself. Working in the field of disability, health and education, Javed filed a PIL in J&K High Court that resulted in proper reservation for physically challenged persons in each and every department.

Not letting his 75 per cent loco-motor disability deter him, Shahul has been getting jobs for several people with disabilities in the education department and also in private companies.

New Delhi’s very own Anubhuti Mittal, who couldn’t make it to the function because of a death in the family, was a special awardee. She is running a one-stop shop HR solution consultancy designed exclusively for differently-abled persons.

In the best employers category, the winners were Infosys BPO, Intel Technology India Pvt. Ltd., ITC Hotel The Windsor, Pepsico India Holdings Pvt. Ltd. (West Market Unit), Reuters and Vindhya E-Infomedia Pvt. Ltd.

After handing over the awards to the winners in individual and corporate categories, Union Panchayati Raj Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar said through his Ministry he wanted to help differently-abled persons living across the country. “We have 250,000 institutions of self-governance. I don’t think we could get more representatives. I am also Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports and there are 250,000 youth clubs in the country. So, we could synergise the reach of Panchayati Raj Ministry and Youth Affairs and Sports into working for the physically challenged persons. This would make a tangible contribution in the lives of people affected either by nature or fortune.”

Earlier, NCPEDP executive director Javed Abidi said in the ninth year of the Helen Keller awards there has been a paradigm shift in the attitude of corporate houses towards differently-abled persons. Introduced in 1999 to honour individuals and companies who care for differently-abled people to see that they get equal opportunities at their workplace, the Helen Keller awards are also presented to physically challenged persons who overcome their handicap and make their presence felt in society.

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