Limca Book of Records Felicitates 15 Specially-Abled People of the Year 2016
by EVENTFAQS Bureau Marketing | April 25, 2016 | News
Limca Book of Records Coca-Cola
Limca Book of Records celebrated the power of the human spirit on April 14, on the 125th birth anniversary of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar. At the media event hosted at Stein Auditorium, India Habitat Centre in Delhi, the Record book’s editorial team, following its long established tradition, announced a list of 15 PwDs (Persons with Disabilities), as the People of the Year (PoY) 2016. By doing so, Limca Book of Records wanted to showcase examples of people who did not allow physical disability to become an impediment to success. The event was managed by Momentum Group.
N R Narayana Murthy, Co-Founder, Infosys Ltd was present to honour the POYs along with Venkatesh Kini, President, Coca-Cola India & South West Asia as well as Vijaya Ghose, Editor, Limca Book of Records. A jury comprising former Parliamentarian H K Dua; Radhika Alkazi, Founder & Managing Director, Aarth Aastha; and Merry Barua, Founder Director, Action for Autism, chose the PoYs.
On the occasion, N R Narayana Murthy, said, “It is difficult to imagine India becoming a strong economy without becoming an inclusive economy – an economy which is inclusive in gender, ability, ethnicity and all other social parameters. Corporates, civil society and governments must come together to accomplish the vision of an accessible India.”
Narayana Murthy also co-signed a petition at this event, addressed to the Prime Minister of India and the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment urging them to make sign language an official language of India by including it in the Eight Schedule. The other signatories included Kini and all the POYs 2016. Another highlight of the event was the launch of the first ever Braille edition of the Record book, the first copy of which was presented by Kini and Narayana Murthy to Rajpal, Managing Committee Member and Officer, the Blind Relief Association, at the JPM School.
Speaking at the event, Venkatesh Kini said, “As publishers of Limca Book of Records and as a responsible corporate, we are committing ourselves to tutor introductory sign language lessons to 10,000 people. We along with our partners will also conduct sensitization and awareness sessions about PwDs equivalent to 1,000 man-hours of training. Coca-Cola India will work with its allies, partners, vendors, suppliers, and key accounts to make buildings, inclusive and disabled friendly. We all need to come together in this movement for PwDs.”
In order to educate and sensitize the audience, the event included a short module on sign language training. The record book also broke its own tradition and presented the People of the Year with a shawl procured from MESH (Maximising Employment to Serve the Handicapped), an organization that practises Fair Trade with disabled and leprosy affected crafts artisans for their rehabilitation.
The event also showcased the talent of the specially abled, through the recital of the National song ‘VandeMataram’ in sign language. The felicitation ceremony included an uplifting musical performance by the Udaan Orchestra Band, concluding the event on a positive note.
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The media event in Delhi was managed by Momentum Group, and saw Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy attend together with Venkatesh Kini, President, Coca-Cola India & South West Asia.