A video that celebrates the strength of the differently-abled

Earlier this year, ad-man

Ajay Bhaskar

was shaken after he heard of a differently-abled person being beaten up for not standing up for the National Anthem. That is when he decided to ‘stand up’ for them in a unique way, so that the nation stands up for the differently-abled. He, along with ad-filmmaker

Ashvin Naidu

, founded The Stand Up Project, which aims to raise awareness for the differently-abled all through the month of December.

Today is International Day of Disabled Persons, but Ashvin and Ajay don’t want the community to be celebrated on just one day. “We want to start a culture where December is seen as a month for differently-abled awareness, just like October is for breast cancer awareness,” says Ajay. They seek to do this with a video that celebrates the undying spirit of the differently-abled, followed with the hashtag #DecemberFor TheDifferentlyAbled.
The video stars

Shalini Saraswathi

(quadruple amputee, marathon runner),

Vishwas KS

(swimmer),

Sandesh BG

(paralympic athlete), Prajwal B (basketball player),

Shiva Prasad S

(tennis player),

Ashwin Karthik SN

(India’s first BE graduate with cerebral palsy),

Prathima N Rao

(tennis player), MS Nagendra (theatre artiste) and

Sheryl Rebecca

(aspiring scientist), all of who deliver a powerful message. “The video is to make a point that if we can stand up for the nation, then the nation should stand up for the differently-abled. We hope that it moves people and makes them aware of the lives of those who are differently-abled,” says Ashvin.

Telling us more about the idea behind the project, Ashvin adds, “The Stand Up Project is a testimony to the undying spirit of every differently-abled person. It is just one of the many ways we are trying to bust myths about them. They are not weak; in fact, they are stronger than most people. Every hurdle they cross is an inspiration. So, it is important for world organizations to come together to make society equal for all by fighting for the rights and policies that make the life of differently-abled people better.”