Panchkula (Haryana) [India], February 18: The first-ever national solo fashion show for the totally blind and low-vision, male-female category has been performed on the ramp by the more energetic contestants. All the participants were full of energy and spirit to perform. The Radio Udaan team took the initiative. They are the history makers and set the milestone for others.
The radio Udaan efforts has come true. The fashion show last night left audiences breathless as designers showcased their latest collections, which were specially designed by Anupam Taneja, a Delhi based fashion designer. The collection was designed for visually impaired persons with disabilities. This two days event held at Jatt Bhavan, Panchkula. The runway was filled with avant-garde designs, vibrant colors, and bold patterns, signaling the start of a new era in fashion. The show has been witnessed by the esteemed guests Harpreet Kaur Babla—Mayor, Chandigarh; Mr. Malik—Chairperson, Jatt Bhawan, Dolly Guleria and Mr. Praveen Ambashta—Deputy Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities. The first day saw a packed audience. The play “Intezaar” captured the hearts of the audience. This play was directed and written by the national awardee, Danish Mahajan.
Dolly Guleria, daughter of the legendary folk singer Surinder Kaur, popularly known as ‘The Nightingale of Punjab,’ was a witness to the second-day event. The talent of the participants left her speechless. Mr. Praveen Ambashta, Dy. Chief Commissioner CCPD, Govt. of India, Dept. of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Divyangian), was surprised to see the calibre of the participants. He got goosebumps seeing all the visually impaired participants walking on the ramp. The show was choreographed by Delhi based renowned and National Award winning documentary filmmaker Beenu Rajpoot.
In today’s era, everyone wants to feel confident and look good. Purple Runway of Dreams—A Fashion Feat was a new venture specifically designed for a fashion show event for visually impaired youth, said Danish Mahajan (visually impaired journalist), founder of Radio Udaan. It can be challenging to express the power of style and fashion through words, but these icons have managed to do so with quote-worthy, inspiring words of wisdom to live by, according to Danish.
Radio Udaan has set a milestone for others. Radio Udaan has set a milestone for others. They have showcased the abilities of people with disability. The Purple Runway of Dreams – a fashion fest was breathtaking ramp show, which show cased the caliber of the person with disabilities. The second day highlight of the show was the fashion show for individuals with exceptional abilities. And the winners are; Swati Singla (in females) and Buddha Lama (in males) was the winner and Aarti Maanmode, Dr. Hitesh Prasad was the runner-up in low vision category. In totally blind category the winners were Megha Gupta (in females), Devraju G (in males) and runner ups – Kratika Sharma, and Maninder Singh.
Radio Udaan is an online disability community radio initiative under Udaan Empowerment Trust. It serves as a platform to raise awareness about disability rights, promote inclusion, and provide a voice to marginalized groups. As far as the team is concerned, we have 8 trustees and 25 RJs (Radio Jockeys) who actively contribute to making our programs impactful and meaningful.
“Organizing such an event involved overcoming numerous challenges, including securing funding, coordinating with stakeholders, managing logistical issues, and ensuring accessibility for all participants. Additionally, raising awareness and convincing sponsors about the significance of the event were also hurdles. Despite these challenges, the team’s dedication, support from our partners, and belief in our cause made it possible to turn obstacles into steppingstones,” said the event coordinator, Jyoti Malik, who herself is visually impaired.
Further, Minal Singhvi, the director of Radio Udaan, explained that through this event, we want to convey that we, too, are glamorous and confident individuals. Socialization has often been a challenge for the visually impaired, and we aim to break this stereotype by promoting personality development and showcasing those persons with disabilities can shine in every field, including fashion and social spaces.
Danish Mahajan was excited with the result of this event. He said that we received a phenomenal response from the participants, which has motivated us to take this initiative to the international level. We aim to reach a global audience, collaborate with international organizations, and continue inspiring individuals across the world with our message of inclusion and empowerment.
This initiative underscores the belief that fashion and confidence are universal rights, transcending barriers of disability and fostering inclusion in every aspect of life. The backbone of this event is the Radio Udaan team, whose members include: Minal Singhvi (Director), Danish Mahajan (Founder and General Secretary), Saif Rehman (Joint Secretary), Jyoti Malik (Program Manager), Rajeev Bhambri (Advisor), Puneet Soni (Trustee), Rajendar Johny (Trustee), Sanjeev Raju (Trustee) and Ashish Singla (Trustee).
Many supporters have come forward to support a cause like the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Sablon Swasthya Mission, HDFC Mutual Fund, Union Bank of India, Smart on and NAB Delhi.
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