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Lhoubeilatuo Kire giving out the award to Diethono Nakhro, middle, at the 14th Classic Award 2019, on Wednesday October 2 in Kohima.[/caption]
Our Correspondent
Kohima, Oct. 3 (EMN): People with disabilities are not ‘inferior’ citizens; they are equal citizens and they deserve the same equal opportunities as anybody else, said Diethono Nakhro, the state commissioner for persons with disabilities, Nagaland.
Nakhro is the recipient of the 14th classic award 2019. During her acceptance speech at Hotel Japfü in Kohima on October 2, she said just because someone is a little different, it does not mean they are incapable of living a full life.
The former editor of Eastern Mirror stated that the majority of children with disabilities are not given proper education in the society as the curriculum is not made accessible for them. “And this is how our society is failing with our children as a whole and with this knowledge came the realization that I must speak and fight for the rights of the people with disabilities”, she said.
“The greatest fear in life is to be invisible, to feel like nobody cares for you, to be treated like your life is nothing,” she said, adding that is exactly how it feels to be a disabled person in Nagaland.
Nakhro cited how her life changed after she met with a car accident in 2006 and ended up in a wheel chair because of spinal cord injury. She slowly discovered that despite her own determination to get on with her life and to face whatever challenge, it was going to be practically impossible to live any kind of life as a disabled person in the society. “Our society is a very exclusive society that gathers only normal people and people living with disabilities are not included in anything, their existence is not counted,” she said.
Nakhro thanked Classic Club for amplifying the voice of people with disabilities through the award. She dedicated her award to all the people living with disabilities in Nagaland.
“I will continue to fight harder and try to make this world a better place for everyone and become worthy of the honour given to me,” she added.
Lhoubeilatuo Kire, additional chief secretary to the chief minister of Nagaland, acknowledged Classic Club for their activities in various fields and showing a great example of how an organisation should be.
Kire also appreciated Diethono Nakhro saying that “her commitment to the people with disability is well known and the state government has rightly identified her and made her the State Commissioner for Person with Disabilities.”
“Not only the state government but the public in general also need to be aware of and strive for a future where we can recognize the rights of people with disabilities,” he said. He urged Nakhro to ‘go out and light the world.’
K Neibu Sekhose, president of Classic Club said that the focus of the club, which was formed on October 2 1994, is to develop games and sports and promote social awareness.
“We can look back with a sense of satisfaction at the achievement we have made during the last 25 years but the road ahead is still long and we have many tasks to fulfill,” he said.
It was stated that during the past few years, a few prominent persons had been awarded in the field of social service, literature, sports, print media, music, health service and humanitarian works.