Raju Kendre belongs to the tribal community living in Maharashtra’s Vidarbha region. He did not let his adversities stop him from helping marginalised channelise their potential and went on to get the prestigious Chevening Scholarship.
Srivatsan Sankaran was diagnosed with total hearing loss at the age of six. He would not react to what people had to say, but would observe them intently. In 2014, he made the difficult decision to leave his IT Job and pursue his passion full-time.
Avyukth Bala is still a kid but wants to bring smiles to people’s faces by taking small steps from his side. He is also a strong believer in sharing to help those in need.
Jyothi K Kumar suffers from hearing impairment since her birth. Despite that, she completed her training in fine arts and now works as a freelancer in graphic designing and painting.
A Pune-based family physician, Dr Ganesh Rakh, has been working on eradicating gender bias with his ‘Save Girl Child’ campaign that continues to gain momentum around the world.
Kavya Mukhija, born with a medical condition called Arthrogryposis Multiplex Congenita, is a wheelchair user. However, the young woman has braved several physical and psychological challenges to create a happy life for herself where she embraces her disability and has a strong message for the world.
Shakeel, 24, came from a Muslim orthodox family in Uttar Pradesh’s Jaunpur district. He was interested in music since childhood and performed in various gatherings and events. Things took a turn when one of his street performances went viral. Celebrities like Hrithik Roshan, Sonu Nigam and Pooja Bhatt shared his video which gained him overnight fame.
Rahul Viswanath, an IT expert, was born with a cleft palate condition. He, like most cleft kids, underwent multiple surgeries and speech therapy sessions. Apart from the physical deformities, he suffered more psychologically, with constant bullying and discrimination in society. Over the years, he learnt the art of public speaking and since then, has been speaking on various public platforms. His target is to talk on larger forums such as TEDx.
Prakhar Kotadia started a plantation drive in 2020 as a way to lift everyone’s spirits during the pandemic. Now, it has evolved into ‘Roopkesarivatika Charitable Foundation’ that ‘turns barren lands into lush green mini forest.’
Suresh Ramdas came out to his parents when he was in his 30s. Despite facing adversities, he has held his head up high and worked towards taking the conversations around LGBTQIA+ forward.
