New Delhi: Rahul Kumar‘s journey began in silence. Deaf and speech-impaired, the 24-year-old embraced the world of sign language at 18 –– and realised he had been liberated. Now, he aspires to master and teach advanced sign language skills to fellow individuals with disabilities. Alongside Kumar, numerous others breathed vitality into their disabilities at Amrit Udyan on Monday at the Purple Fest, India’s one of a kind festival celebrating persons with special needs.
With an attendance of over 14,000, the Purple Fest 2024 was a melting pot of disabled people from diverse walks of life. As one participant poignantly remarked, “Our senses are the threads that bind us.” At the event, organised by the Union social justice and empowerment ministry’s department of empowerment of persons with disabilities, volunteers of city-based Pt Deendayal Upadhyaya National Institute for Persons with Physical Disabilities ensured that the experience was seamless.
At a booth run by Sense International India, able participants experienced simulated disability through blindfolds and earplugs to gain an insight into the challenges faced by the disabled. After experiencing the artificial disablement, Ranjit Kumar shared, “For the first time, I truly understood how a disabled person feels. I always thought they managed things well. But I learnt it’s an entirely different world. The experience highlighted the gap in our understanding of them, but I felt that gap narrowing.”
Danish Mahajan, the visionary behind Udaan, India’s pioneering online disability community radio, described the Purple Fest event as a celebration of diversity. “India has always been a land of festivals and a new one has been added,” he exulted. “It’s a wonderful event that exposes thousands of people to disabilities.”
At the football ground, the spirit of sportsmanship defied limitations. Suresh, 24, cannot see, but his legs moved and dribbled and hit the ball into the goalpost. He had learned both defending and attacking as part of the Indian Blind Association’s team. “At first I was confused because I couldn’t imagine me playing a sport like this,” he confessed. Gajendra Negi, 31, is wheelchair-bound but has similarly carved out a path for himself in rugby, archery and swimming. Alisha, 18, with her team of 12 wheelchair basketballers, smiled, “I am a 4.5 player now!”
Amid the cheerful chatter, the silent eloquence of sign language was a powerful means of bridging the gap for the deaf community. “It’s a great to interact with people facing similar challenges. We learn from each other and there’s always a new learning about other communities too,” Akash told TOI with the help of interpreter Neha Rajput.
Rajput, in her 20s, reminisced, “During Class XI, I had a remarkable teacher who was blind. Her unwavering dedication to teaching left a lasting impression on me. Inspired by her, I’ve chosen to pursue a path of educating disabled children.”
TOI also saw myriad conversations in sign language about people telling each other about their day, school updates and favourite stalls, with some seen exchanging numbers with new-found friends.
Rajesh Aggarwal, secretary, department of empowerment of persons with disabilities announced, three significant launches at the event, including a collaboration between the National Institute for Empowerment of Persons with Intellectual Disabilities and Tata Power Community Development Trust for the India Neurodiversity Platform, focusing on early intervention and home care. Another launch featured a handbook addressing attitudinal barriers and promoting the use of disability-sensitive language, a crucial step in fostering inclusivity.
“The ministry’s focus has expanded beyond policies and schemes to addressing childhood and family issues to enhancing educational opportunities for the disabled. We aim to promote participation in entertainment and sports, both as spectators and players. Our new emphasis is solely intellectual discussions, but also enjoyment and participation,” said Aggarwal.
As Vrushali sat with her daughter, she reflected on the challenges she faced whenher daughter was born with special needs five years ago.“I was overwhelmed but I found solace in discoveringtherapies and, more importantly, in the acceptance and support from like-minded communities,” she said.
On Monday evening, President Droupadi Murmu witnessed the cultural performances by artistes with disabilities and also interacted them. She grew emotional while sharing her experiences. The dancing and singing echoed the values of equality and respect for all individuals in an inclusive society.
With an attendance of over 14,000, the Purple Fest 2024 was a melting pot of disabled people from diverse walks of life. As one participant poignantly remarked, “Our senses are the threads that bind us.” At the event, organised by the Union social justice and empowerment ministry’s department of empowerment of persons with disabilities, volunteers of city-based Pt Deendayal Upadhyaya National Institute for Persons with Physical Disabilities ensured that the experience was seamless.
At a booth run by Sense International India, able participants experienced simulated disability through blindfolds and earplugs to gain an insight into the challenges faced by the disabled. After experiencing the artificial disablement, Ranjit Kumar shared, “For the first time, I truly understood how a disabled person feels. I always thought they managed things well. But I learnt it’s an entirely different world. The experience highlighted the gap in our understanding of them, but I felt that gap narrowing.”
Danish Mahajan, the visionary behind Udaan, India’s pioneering online disability community radio, described the Purple Fest event as a celebration of diversity. “India has always been a land of festivals and a new one has been added,” he exulted. “It’s a wonderful event that exposes thousands of people to disabilities.”
At the football ground, the spirit of sportsmanship defied limitations. Suresh, 24, cannot see, but his legs moved and dribbled and hit the ball into the goalpost. He had learned both defending and attacking as part of the Indian Blind Association’s team. “At first I was confused because I couldn’t imagine me playing a sport like this,” he confessed. Gajendra Negi, 31, is wheelchair-bound but has similarly carved out a path for himself in rugby, archery and swimming. Alisha, 18, with her team of 12 wheelchair basketballers, smiled, “I am a 4.5 player now!”
Amid the cheerful chatter, the silent eloquence of sign language was a powerful means of bridging the gap for the deaf community. “It’s a great to interact with people facing similar challenges. We learn from each other and there’s always a new learning about other communities too,” Akash told TOI with the help of interpreter Neha Rajput.
Rajput, in her 20s, reminisced, “During Class XI, I had a remarkable teacher who was blind. Her unwavering dedication to teaching left a lasting impression on me. Inspired by her, I’ve chosen to pursue a path of educating disabled children.”
TOI also saw myriad conversations in sign language about people telling each other about their day, school updates and favourite stalls, with some seen exchanging numbers with new-found friends.
Rajesh Aggarwal, secretary, department of empowerment of persons with disabilities announced, three significant launches at the event, including a collaboration between the National Institute for Empowerment of Persons with Intellectual Disabilities and Tata Power Community Development Trust for the India Neurodiversity Platform, focusing on early intervention and home care. Another launch featured a handbook addressing attitudinal barriers and promoting the use of disability-sensitive language, a crucial step in fostering inclusivity.
“The ministry’s focus has expanded beyond policies and schemes to addressing childhood and family issues to enhancing educational opportunities for the disabled. We aim to promote participation in entertainment and sports, both as spectators and players. Our new emphasis is solely intellectual discussions, but also enjoyment and participation,” said Aggarwal.
As Vrushali sat with her daughter, she reflected on the challenges she faced whenher daughter was born with special needs five years ago.“I was overwhelmed but I found solace in discoveringtherapies and, more importantly, in the acceptance and support from like-minded communities,” she said.
On Monday evening, President Droupadi Murmu witnessed the cultural performances by artistes with disabilities and also interacted them. She grew emotional while sharing her experiences. The dancing and singing echoed the values of equality and respect for all individuals in an inclusive society.