The 23rd CavinKare Ability Awards 2025 was held in Chennai on Saturday, honouring six individuals with disabilities from across India. The event, in collaboration with the Ability Foundation, recognized the recipients’ resilience, talent, and indomitable spirit. C.K. Ranganathan, chairman and managing director of CavinKare Private Limited, presented the awards, stating that they stood as a testament to the honorees’ remarkable achievements.
Sarah Sunny, India’s first deaf lawyer to argue before the Supreme Court, received the Special Recognition Award. Poonam Shroti, a disability rights advocate born with osteogenesis imperfecta, was awarded the Eminence Award. She has dedicated her life to empowering individuals with disabilities, particularly in tier 2 cities, through her organization, Uddip Social Welfare Society.
The Mastery Awards went to four individuals: Mohammad Shams Aalam Shaikh, a paraplegic Indian Para Swimmer; Miranda Tomkinson, a lecturer in special education who is the first deafblind individual in India to complete a major; Jilumol Mariet Thomas, a self-employed graphic designer who is a member of the Mouth and Foot Painting Artists Association; and Arshad Pandit, a paraplegic Associate Professor at Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) and researcher in medical genetics and cancer diagnostics.
Speaking at the event, Jayshree Raveendran, founder and executive director of the Ability Foundation, emphasized the importance of recognizing the potential of individuals with disabilities and fostering an environment that allows them to contribute to society. She noted that each recipient embodied the resilience of countless others who are still striving to break free from societal constraints and stressed the need for society to acknowledge and support their contributions.