Success Stories

Vijay Ramchandra Kulkarni

It was a very proud moment for the parents & for Society for the Vocational Rehabilitation of The Retarded when one of its trainee, Vijay Ramchandra Kulkarni received the National Award on 03.12.2001 at the hands of Vice President –Shri Krishnkant for his outstanding performance in the most efficient disabled employee category. He is both mentally & physically disabled and has impaired speech.

He joined Society for the Vocational Rehabilitation of The Retarded & learned Cardboard file making, recanning of chairs, assembling work etc. between 1980-1994. On 1st June 1994, he started a PCO booth at Mulund (East) near his residence with the help of NASEOH and an assistant. Because of dwindling PCO business due to advent of mobile phones, he has undertaken the job of online recharging also & is getting good response.

Vijay Kulkarni’s life has been a saga of struggle & courage and richly deserved the awards in self-employed category after joining Society for the Vocational Rehabilitation of The Retarded. These awards are 1) Shri Bhikhubhai C. Shah Memorial Award (1998) 2) National Award (2001) 3) Maharashtra State Social Welfare Award (2001) 4) NASEOH Award (2003).

Dilip Kashinath Labdhe

Dilip was born on 5th June 1988, He is physically handicapped (polio) and from a Tribal family residing in remote area of village Sakwar, taluka Vasai, District Palghar. He studied upto 4th std. at Zilla Parishad School. At the age of 17, he joined SVRR’s Rural Mobile Centre at Ramkrishna Mission, Sakwar where he was trained in weaving, tailoring, cardboard file making and warli painting from 2005-2010. He was also provided a PCO booth by the Mission at its entrance/gate which he ran for two years.

After completing the training he started working on warli painting independently at home. However as there was not much demand in his remote area, he started coming to SVRR’s Rural centre “Baba Bhaskar Pawar Vruddhashram” at Sakwar where he worked on warli painting on wooden trays, pen stands, tea coasters etc. His framed canvas & fabric paintings are in demand. As he is unable to move from place to place, SVRR helps him in selling his articles which earns him about Rs.4000/- per month. He also owns & runs a Xerox machine gifted by Zilla Parishad, with the help of his wife. This generates additional income for his family. He is very punctual, sincere & hardworking and in his free time helps other trainees in weaving & tailoring work. He also helps other handicapped people in and around his village.

He was bestowed Shri Bhikhubhai C. Shah Memorial Award in 2014 & Smt Nandini P. Divatia Rural Rehabilitation Award from RUDMI , Ahmedabad in 2016 under physically employed category.

He is married & has a son.

Ritesh Manohar Nikam

Born on 2nd Oct 1980, Ritesh Manohar Nikam stays with his parents grandmother, brother, Sister in law & two nephews. He was a normal child by birth but when he was six months old a month long treatment for high fever affected his brain. He was diagnosed with intellectual disability. He was admitted to Meera Vidyalaya Special School, Matunga where he was given special education & vocational training . He joined SVRR at the age of twenty and was trained in weaving ,tailoring & cardboard file making work. Despite having an average IQ his understanding & grasping power, energetic nature, hard work & exceptional behaviour made him a favourite of the Managing Committee, Staff Members & our clients. You will always find him at the sales counters at all our exhibitions. Due to these good qualities, he was rehabilitated in SVRR itself in 2010 as a helper for office work. At present he is drawing a salary of Rs.6,000/- PM. He not only helps daily routine work but in case of need also travels to our rural centres at Sakwar Baba Bhaskar Pawar Wrudhasharam & Nirdhar Pratishthan at Tokre-kaner Village, Taluka Vasai,District Palghar. During educational tours he is very helpful along with staff in taking charge of trainees assigned to him.

He received Shri Bhikhubhai C. Shah Memorial Award in 2013 in the outstanding mentally handicapped employed category. In 2015, he was honoured with Manisha S. Halbe Smruti Puraskar from Pragati Kendra, Mumbai. In 2016, he was given Kum. Vasanti B. Modi Memorial Award for his outstanding contribution as a role model for differently abled employees by “NASEOH”. He also received number of prizes & certificates of participation & merit in various extra curricular activities such as sports, Singing & dance competitions.

He is one of the brilliant trainees of SVRR & a role model for others of his category. We are very proud of him. He recently got married.

Rajesh Jivraj Parmar

Rajesh, Mentally challenged was born on 02.11.70 studied up to 7th std from Topiwala Municipal School , Grant Road, Mumbai. At the age of 23, he joined SVRR for vocational training from 04.02.1993 to 30.11.1994. He was trained in Society for the Vocational Rehabilitation of the Retarded stall selling consumer items as also tailoring & office work. Seeing his interest in office work, he was absorbed in SVRR on 01.12.1994 as a helper. With some guidance & help he picked up all the Nitty Gritty of office work & started going to banks, Social Welfare Department etc. He also helps in keeping the office clean. Due to his efficiency & hardwork he received following awards under outstanding mentally challenged category details of which are as under:
1) Maharashtra State Award at the hands of the then Chief Minister in 2000
2) National Award at the hands of for our President Late A.P.J. Abdul Kalam in 2001 organized by Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment
3) Shri Bhikhubhai C. Shah Memorial Award in 2009
4) Smt Vasanti B. Modi Award (NASEOH) in 2012

He is married & has a son.

Bhagwan Thavardes Sawlani

Born on 25.06.1956, Bhagwan is a mentally and physically challenged person. He studied up to VIIIth std in a school at Indore. When his parents shifted to Bandra, he joined Society for The Vocational Rehabilitation of the Retarded for Vocational training at kilachand Mansion Princess Street, Mumbai from June 1979 to June 1981. He was trained in cardboard file making, recanning of chairs and assembling work. Since 1987, he is operating a PCO Booth provided by NASEOH at Bandra station. At his request MTNL provided him 4 more telephones, but with the advent of Mobile phones his income is affected.

In 1987 he received NASEOH Award, together with a certificate of merit and cash award of Rs 5,000/-. In 1991, he received National Award at the hands of the then President shri Venkataraman. He was given Shri Bhikhubhai C. Shah Memorial Award in 2016.

All the awards were given to him under the outstanding mentally and physically handicapped employed category. Bhagwan is married & has a son.

Naresh Damodar Satam

Born on 01.10.1981, Naresh stays at Kabir Wadi, Grant Road, Mumbai. He is married & has a daughter. He had undergone a major operation and had severe jaundice attack at an early age which affected his intellectual growth. He first joined a BMC normal school at Gilder Lane but because of his limitations, he was shifted to Special Education Section of the same school, where he was given academic & vocational training from 1988 to 1997. He joined Society for the Vocational Rehabilitation of The Retarded from 1997 to 2003 and was trained in Recanning of Chairs, Cardboard File Making ,Weaving & Tailoring as well as in simple office work. He was rehabilitated at “Serigraphy Art of Silk Screen Printing works” from 2003 to 2008. In May 2008, he joined Beta Intercom Network as a helper earning Rs.8,000/-per month. He is a good sportsman and participated in various sports events &carrom tournaments & received Certificates of Merit & honour.

He was conferred Shri Bhikhubhai .C. Shah Memorial Award in 2005 by SVRR & Vasanti B. Modi Award by NASEOH in 2014 under the Outstanding Mentally Challenged Employed Category.

Avinash Sayaji Kadam

Avinash Sayaji Kadam was born on 8th August 1957. His intellectual disability was diagnosed early as a child after which he was admitted to SAVERA special school at Fort, Mumbai. He was there for 4/5 years. Later he was trained at Society for the Vocational Rehabilitation of the Retarded in Cardboard file making, weaving & tailoring between 1972 & 1975. Since 1975, he is working as a helper at a Petrol Pump earning a salary of Rs.8,000/- per month. His employer Hind Automobile – Sewri are very happy with his work and has retained him in job even after his retirement. He was given National Award at the hands of the then President of India Shri Venkatraman in 1990.Bhikhubhai C. Shah award was conferred to him in employed category in 2006.

He is married.

Tulsiram Kashtya Kakad

Tulsiram Kashtya Kakad, born on 01.06.1978 is a hearing impaired person. He studied up to 4th std. in a normal school.
At the age of 18,he joined our Rural Mobile Centre at Ramkrishna Mission Sakwar, Taluka Vasai, Dist Palghar from Oct 1997 to February 2001 where he received vocational training in cardboard file making, weaving & tailoring work along with Warli Painting. In March 2001,he converted front portion of his house into a small shop & started selling cutlery items.

In 2006, he was given Shri Bhikhubhai C. Shah Memorial Award under Physically Handicapped Self employed Category. In 2009, he received a cash award of Rs.10,000/- from RUDMI, Ahmedabad, in the same category which helped him to expand his business. He is married & has two children. His wife also helps him in his business and farming work. He is earning approximately Rs.2500/- per month.

He is married & has a son & daughter.

Rupesh Subhashchandra Tambhakhu

Rupesh was born on 25th November 1970. He is a mentally challenged person, studied upto IXth std. in a Marathi Medium Municipal School. He is staying with his mother & sister at Dahisar. Another sister is married. He joined Society for the Vocational Rehabilitation of The Retarded – Rural Centre at NIRDHAR PRATISHTHAN, a residential training centre at Village Tokre-Kaner, Virar in 2008 where he is working as a helper. His job consist of washing the trainee’s clothes & keeping the dormitory clean. He also helps in kitchen work & serves breakfast, lunch & dinner to trainees. He is good at operating pedal loom and helps Mr. Datta, workshop in-charge in making doormats. Twice a week he helps in farming activities of Nirdhar Pratishthan by watering & taking care of plants.

He is hardworking & helpful to all his colleagues and was given Shri Bhikhubhai C. Shah Memorial Award in 2010 in mentally challenged self employed category.

Alok Abhay Nene

Alok Abhay Nene (32 years) is Mentally Handicapped Employee. He has studied up to 7th std. in a marathi school ‘Shreeman Snehdeep Vidya Mandir’, Thane. He was admittd to Society for the Vocational Rehabilitation of The Retarded (SVRR) for vocational training at the age of 22. He was trained in cardboard file making, assembling & office work from 2009 to 2015.Afterwards he joined Excellent Academy of Engineering, a coaching class centre as a helper for 6 months where his salary was Rs.4000. At present he is working as a helper with Sushurat Maternity & Surgical Nursing Polyclinic and Diagnostic Centre, Andheri drawing a salary of Rs.7500/- p.m. He does all the work assigned to him by the doctors and travels independently from residence at Thane to Nursing home. He stays with his parent, grandmother and elder brother who are all working.

He received Shri Bhikhubhai C. Shah Memorial Award in the year 2015 under the category of outstanding mentally handicapped employed category.