Community initiative driving equal rights

Sometimes the little details make the biggest difference. In India, where equal rights have yet to mean equal opportunities, it is all in the details. For instance, there are far fewer women than men driving on the country’s roads. Yet driving is an incredibly powerful tool for independence; something NGOs have been quick to understand could serve many women.

Over the past years a number of initiatives have been rolled out to provide Indian women with easier access to cars and driving. Indeed, the sector is promising enough for companies like For-She to appear and grow throughout the country. The business model is built around providing women with access to jobs usually restricted to men, such as commercial driving or personal protection.

However, not all initiatives are for-profit; in Chennai alone, a number of small non-profit organizations such as the Association for Non-Traditional Employment (ANEW) or Human Trip have been offering women free driving lessons and the opportunity to become Auto-rickshaw drivers. Michelin India has joined the effort by offering free training at its site in Chennai. With four hours of classes a day, the program has already enrolled 14 soon-to-be female drivers. With so many ongoing initiatives, women drivers have hit the ground running and they’re going fast.

Honor to those who dare: CavinKare Ability Awards 2012

Admittedly, what the disabled cannot do is obvious. What is amazing is what they can do. If you are looking for examples of unparalleled resolve to struggle for personal achievement, both in society and in personal life, just look at the winners of the 10th CavinKare Ability Awards. The (annual program), jointly organized by the (Ability Foundation) and (CavinKare Pvt. Ltd.), honors achievers with disabilities who have broken conventional barriers to realize their potential.

Created in 2003, the purpose of the CavinKare Ability Awards is to build awareness about the capabilities of the disabled. The awards are given in two categories: CavinKare Ability Award for Eminence and CavinKare Ability Mastery Awards. The Eminence Award is given to a disabled person who has shown a commitment to others that goes beyond personal achievement. The Mastery Awards are given to three people who have achieved excellence in any specific field.

For the 2012 Award ceremony on February 18 in Chennai, the four winners were selected from 131 nominees from 19 different states. Mohammed Iqbal from Ladakh received the CavinKare Eminence Award for his struggle to empower the disabled. In his fight for the rights of others, he has set up the People’s Action Group for Inclusion and Rights (PAGIR). BhavanaBotta, an amazing young woman from Chennai, received the CavinKare Ability Mastery Award. Asteroid cerebral palsy hasn’t stopped her from completing B. Com in corporate secretarial skills. She currently runs Saahaagika, a boutique selling Ahimsa and Organic silk products. CavinKare Ability Mastery Awards were also given to AzeemBolar, a hotel consultant from Bangalore struggling against deteriorating vision, and RiiteshSinha from Karnal, Haryana, who has set up and runs a Datamix computer Center; the boy who was refused admission to most schools has made a dazzling career in computer science.

The disabled want to be taxpayers, too. They also want to contribute to the country’s economy. Striving to build an inclusive society, with equal opportunities for all, is not an act of pity. People need people. Food for thought…