A Coffee-table Book by State Commission for Persons with Disabilities
Bhubaneswar(Kalinga Voice) : State Commission for Persons with Disabilities (SPCD) has come up with inspiring accounts of 18 persons with disabilities, who possess unique skills, talents and capabilities, and State’s visually-challenged women’s cricket team, through a Coffeetable book.
Releasing the Coffee-table book ‘Inspire..Empower’ Sri Ashok Chandra Panda, Minister, SSEPD said that a number of PwDs in Odisha have extraordinary exposure in various fields, even fighting against all odds with their will-power, practice and fortitude. Mrs. Sulochana Das, Chairperson, SPCD said that the SPCD has made a humble attempt to recognize these special individuals by highlighting their achievements through photography and text. The Coffee-table book illustrates amazing stories of success, fortitude and victory scripted by persons with disabilities in Odisha.
These successful individuals have not let their disability come in their way to achieve different feats in their lives. Who can be better example of the achievers than Pramod Bhagat? Mr. Bhagat has made the country proud by winning gold medal in the recently concluded Tokyo-Paralympics.
Apart from Mr. Bhagat, the Coffee Table book features brothers – Sriharsa and Sidhartha Sukla (painting), Prachurya Kumar Pradhan and Soundarya Kumar Pradhan (Chess), V Ramesh Rao and Rakhal Kumar Sethy (Wheelchair fencers), Rasmi Rekha Sahu (Odissi Danseuse), Tapaswini Das (OFS officer), Baraj Das (student topper), Sabita Rana (Asha worker), Jayanti Behera ( para-athelete), Pankaj Bhue and Sukharam Majhi (cricketers), Srinivas Rao (singer), Abhijit Kundu (corporate executive), Niranjan Behera (disability right activist), Dillip Sahu (singer) and visually challenged women’s cricket team.
The success of differently-abled persons signifies the gradual improvement in their facilitation at various level of governance in Odisha. A few years ago, who thought of a para-sportsperson being bestowed upon coveted Arjun Award and winning Paralympics gold or a visually challenged person from the State addressing Indian Parliament on disability issues?
