CavinKare Walk India Campaign

Sunil Jain is the Founder Trustee and Chief Enabler of ASTHA, an organisation that works with persons with disabilities to support aspirational education, career pathways, civic participation, and access to sports and the arts. A Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, he has over two decades of experience in tax, audit, and corporate consulting. His early life included long periods of medical treatment for a physical disability caused by poliomyelitis, which shaped his commitment to dignity, participation, and aspiration. Founded in 2007, ASTHA runs initiatives such as career mentoring programmes and the Indian Wheelchair Tennis Tour. His work has been recognised with the Karmaveer Chakra and as an India Inclusion Fellow, and continues to influence inclusive thinking across education, sport, and public life.

Dr. Jitender Aggarwal is the founder and leader of Sarthak Educational Trust, working to expand access to education, skills, and employment for persons with disabilities across India. After losing his vision due to macular degeneration, he saw first-hand how systems often exclude people with disabilities from mainstream opportunities. Through Sarthak, he has helped build clear pathways from early support to skills and jobs, worked closely with employers to make hiring more inclusive, and strengthened confidence on both sides of the workplace. His work has also focused on children with disabilities, digital access, and building shared platforms for learning, research, and collaboration, with the larger aim of dignity, independence, and sustained participation in society.

Arivuraja Thangavelu is an entrepreneur who has spent years building work opportunities for people who are often left out of formal employment. He lives with a locomotor disability caused by polio, which has shaped how he thinks about access, work, and independence. Through MAPe IT Solutions, he has built a technology-led organisation working on drone surveys, mapping, and digital services, while training and employing persons with disabilities and youth from rural backgrounds. Many who joined without prior exposure now handle live projects, client coordination, and technical tasks. His focus has been steady employment, skill-building, and giving people the confidence to take responsibility and move forward on their own.

Shiv Kumar Sharma works in disability rights in Chandigarh through legal awareness, theatre, and film. As a State Legal Services Consultant, he runs programmes that explain laws and government support to persons with disabilities. He also works in theatre and cinema, and played the lead role in Rabb Di Awaaz, India’s first multi-inclusive Hindi feature film. Shiv is blind since birth, and his own life experience helps him connect easily with people and their concerns. He co-founded the Rotaract Positive Ability Club and leads programmes such as Dinner in the Dark, which help the public understand blindness and support scholarships for visually impaired students.

Chandra Mouli Dwarapureddy had just completed his BTech when, at the age of 21, an electrical accident resulted in the amputation of both arms and legs. The months that followed demanded patience, courage, and steadiness. Within six months, he was using prosthetic limbs and finding new ways to study, work, and live independently. He returned to academics with focus, completed a Law degree, cleared the CAT, and went on to study at IIM Ahmedabad. He has worked with Amazon and is currently with Accenture. Alongside his work, he stays closely connected with students and professionals with disabilities, sharing what has helped him move forward - clear thinking, sustained effort, and belief in one’s own ability to shape life through action.

Jilumol Mariet Thomas, born without arms due to thalidomide syndrome, is a self-employed graphic designer and a member of the Mouth and Foot Painting Artists Association. She uses her feet for tasks like typing, sketching, and creating digital artwork. Jilumol holds the 2021 Best Painter of the Year Award and is also a skilled foot painter with works displayed in exhibitions. In 2023, she became the first female in Asia without arms to receive a four-wheeler license. Jilumol has also ventured into dubbing for Malayalam cinema and is a motivational speaker.