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Job fair for disabled kicks off, 450 candidates turn up on Day 1

Indian Express

11 january 2013

The two–day job fair organised by NGO Ekansh Trust for people with various disabilities kicked off at Harshal Hall in Kothrud on

Thursday. As many as 18 companies including Thermax, Forbes Marshall, Infosys, SKF, Cummins, Amdocs, HSBC, Praj

Industries Ltd, BNY Mellon, participated in the fair that saw over 450 candidates turn up on Day one.

Anil Bhausaheb Chabukshar (23), who is visually–challenged since birth, came all the way from Ahmednagar to attend the fair.

Sitting patiently with a form in his hand, he said, "I have been working for a call centre in Ahmednagar for the past three years. I

am confident I will be able to bag a job as I have some experience." By evening, at least four companies interviewed over 250 of

them. "Another 60 candidates will be interviewed on Friday morning. We are expecting at least 450 or more candidates on day–

two," said Girish Sharangpani, founder member, Ekansh Trust.

The initiative, supported by Confederation of Indian Industry, saw over 50 student volunteers and 5 faculty members of

Vishwakarma Institute of Management present at the fair to handle different responsibilities.

Physically–challenged since birth Mrunal Mimnokar (22) arrived at the venue on a wheelchair. Waiting in the queue for her turn

to appear for the interview, she said, "I am a third year student of B.Com and do not have any work experience. I have decided

not to be selective and do any job that I can do sitting on my wheelchair.“

Managing trustee and founder of Ekansh Trust Anita Narayan clarified that the trust does not guarantee a job to every candidate

attending the fair. "Also, we cannot guarantee perfect candidates to companies. This job fair is just a platform to explore

possibilities," she said, adding, the trust hopes the exposure and social interactions in the fair like this can alter the confidence

and awareness levels of people with disabilities and their families. "We also hope that the fair will help in initiating in–house

training programmes for the disabled candidates. The fair will also give opportunity to NGOs and organisations working for

disabled to understand them and improve their training courses," said Narayan.

Reaching out

• EKansh trust has always upheld its commitment to empowerment of People with Disabilities. We follow our slogan of ‘Awareness, Acceptance, Sensitization and Inclusion’ without compromise.

• There is a need for us to expand our scope of activities to have an even better impact.

• We are advised by all our well-wishers to reach out for help from the Corporates and philanthropists without embarrassment since our work and outreach is indeed remarkable and effective as is seen in our pictures.

• We are low on funds and high on commitment. Your support will go a long way in helping us grow and do better. We also appreciate strategic advice and support. Hope to hear from you soon!

Thank you for your time and interest!!

Have a wonderful 2014!!!