[Music]
[Music]
[Music]
I want to tell you guys about two people
that I know
Manish and Shweta Manish is a 33 year
old guy from Delhi he’s an entrepreneur
successful entrepreneur and like many of
us in this country he is a big Bollywood
fan he loves watching every movie week
in and week out then there’s Shweta
Shweta is a 30 year old woman from Pune
highly educated and she holds a master’s
degree in public relations
she is one of those that that likes to
hang out with her friends a lot go
shopping go to malls go to theaters go
to bars and so on we all have at least
one Shweta and one Manish in our lives
we all know of at least one of them
but wait do we Mara nominee say or maybe
literally allow at my opportunity as a
handicap other up to Appu Tiffany sorry
problems the accessibility through
opposition opposite pair yes I keep my
opening reference Madonna Club Madonna
of shopping karna gave me the coffee
person there the King movie other week
about Rupa Miguel camisa WL movie
technical town Jeremy sub sub selling
take the front street cleaning out the
f50 the semi around in Turkish a cool
supergirl Mexico who percocet my lady is
attacking prima hopper mechanic dr. lucy
birthday burma-shave
movies traitors give me selection Cudney
party a new Quique movie theaters main
entry technically a coach steps out
there this membrane movie would occur
Liana perceptive had a miniature co2
with the quality this movie theater
mirror and Kanawha Jessica I’m a social
person I
I like partying I like hanging out with
my friends at coffee shops I like going
from movies I like going out shopping
there was this one time when I went out
clubbing with my friends but I was
denied access I was denied entry at this
club because the authorities they didn’t
want to be responsible in cases for any
accident or mishap that that would take
place inside so I tried to negotiate
with the authorities that night however
all my efforts went in vain and I had to
go back home a few of my friends went
inside the club and party too and I had
to go back home that night so after that
incident I was produced I was shocked I
was taken aback because it happened for
the first time to me and after that I
was a bit I’ve always been a bit
reluctant you know to to go to clubs
especially because I don’t want to put
myself through that kind of humiliation
again this is not just the story of
Manish or Shweta so yes it happens a lot
of time here and like accessibility is
not an issue but you get into this kind
of a problem that what people are going
to ask you and you’re going to go to
that event or any function so I placed
it in my path that I have to go to a
function I was not able to go out with
good go to that function because I
thought that like people are going to
ask you there – how this thing has
happened with you why like it it gives
you a little bit of the charr of in
double-teaming so really don’t look
forward to it
hi I’m Lila Kalani I use a wheelchair
due to polio I live in a city of dreams
Mumbai which has people everywhere every
inch sometimes I do get tired of so much
of chaos around me I do feel like going
to Seaside some coffee shop and be
myself look at the waves and feel calm
I’m sure most of you can do that just on
an impulse go and have your mean time
the space to yourself can I really do
that do you really think so on my
wheelchair go at a coffee shop by the
seaside think about it more often than
not this is the life of every person
with a disability
so you’ve seen Manish the story you’ve
seen Shweta story you’ve seen Nino story
and you’ve seen her own story this life
I’ve shown you for four but there are a
hundred million people out there in
India they don’t get to go into their
shopping malls when the sale is on they
don’t get to go into restaurants to try
out different cuisine they don’t get to
go into a movie theater towards their
favorite film they don’t even get to get
a simple cup of coffee
so where do they go nowhere they are
confined by themselves in their homes or
their offices not for a day not for a
week not for a month
not for a year this goes on for years
decades and sometimes a lifetime the
only companion that they have in this
case is someone at home a parent their
sibling or in a lot of cases take
caretaker
can you imagine what this kind of
isolation from life at large leads to
depression lack of self motivation lack
of self esteem suicidal tendencies
mental illness why do you think it has
come to this point we have a hundred
million people in this country with
disabilities why do you think it has
come so far honestly I don’t know but
what I do know is why it does not change
it does not change because we don’t see
the problem how many times have you
walked into a mall to see somebody who’s
blind shopping
you see people blindly shopping but you
how many times you see a blind shopping
how many times have you gone into a
restaurant and seen somebody on a
wheelchair I say this again a hundred
million people with disabilities that’s
one in ten people where do you think
they are we started social spaces with
the aim of bringing people out of their
homes out of their shells to go and meet
different people to socialize to to
build networks to build friendships to
find a date and maybe even find a life
partner what started in gorga last year
with five people today attracts 80 to
100 people every single time in every
single city that we have a meet-up we
have necessary ramps wheelchair
accessible spaces accessible washrooms
and sign language interpreters people
have traveled over 700 kilometers to
attend a three hour meetup purely
because it gives them a sense of of
operation from this isolation this this
freedom to walk into a room where nobody
is judging you nobody’s treating you
differently and everybody’s making you
feel normal
gives them a real sense of confidence to
live a dignified life our meetups are
inclusive which means we have people
with and without disabilities who attend
these meetups and we make it really fun
we do these at beaches at cafes at
public parks at bars at restaurants at
hotels and we have things like stand-up
comedy like dance performances like
karaoke is like storytelling and so on
held India’s first ever inclusive
nightlife meetup in Delhi
earlier this year at the lolly hotel and
this is how it looked like
[Music]
lucky night LeMay instead of a capybara
Bunge the Amanar dream come true I could
all get watery music must be or dance
[Music]
[Music]
it is different and it is the first time
oh no way I haven’t done so much bye
guys
like buildings finding work I’ve known
Sam for a long time now and what they
achieved
[Music]
one of us
not been allowed to love before
in order to do something for it’s not
just him but people like children
medium or the trivia mm
I know just accessible or the fact that
the social stigma around it and we only
want to change this James became Ben
[Music]
like going out for people with
disabilities and really socializing and
feeling equal feeling like they can go
out to a nightclub and find the one that
they either date or marry
and drink and dance I enjoy time to time
zero solace video typo or win a Louis M
is down
[Music]
[Applause]
one year and 30 meetups later we bring
together India’s the largest number of
people with disabilities with 30,000
people in India something very
interesting happened a few weeks ago I
was browsing through my Facebook
newsfeed and I happened to see this
these are pictures of Manish who was
independently hanging out with his
friends at a very popular bar in Delhi
friends who he first met at social
spaces this brought so much joy to me to
think that this is the same Manish who
when I met for the first time was
reluctant and shy to even speak to
somebody or tell his name to someone if
a small company like in club can bring
about such a big change in so many lives
just imagine a small shift in mindset of
the 1.3 billion people in this country
what the word it has potential to do you
may have helped the blind cross the road
but how many times have you stopped to
ask them hey how are you how how’s it
going my name is Shankar Srinivasan
co-founder of in cloth the world’s first
matchmaking app focusing on people with
disabilities and health disorders thank
you
[Applause]
[Music]
[Music]
I want to tell you guys about two people
that I know
Manish and Shweta Manish is a 33 year
old guy from Delhi he’s an entrepreneur
successful entrepreneur and like many of
us in this country he is a big Bollywood
fan he loves watching every movie week
in and week out then there’s Shweta
Shweta is a 30 year old woman from Pune
highly educated and she holds a master’s
degree in public relations
she is one of those that that likes to
hang out with her friends a lot go
shopping go to malls go to theaters go
to bars and so on we all have at least
one Shweta and one Manish in our lives
we all know of at least one of them
but wait do we Mara nominee say or maybe
literally allow at my opportunity as a
handicap other up to Appu Tiffany sorry
problems the accessibility through
opposition opposite pair yes I keep my
opening reference Madonna Club Madonna
of shopping karna gave me the coffee
person there the King movie other week
about Rupa Miguel camisa WL movie
technical town Jeremy sub sub selling
take the front street cleaning out the
f50 the semi around in Turkish a cool
supergirl Mexico who percocet my lady is
attacking prima hopper mechanic dr. lucy
birthday burma-shave
movies traitors give me selection Cudney
party a new Quique movie theaters main
entry technically a coach steps out
there this membrane movie would occur
Liana perceptive had a miniature co2
with the quality this movie theater
mirror and Kanawha Jessica I’m a social
person I
I like partying I like hanging out with
my friends at coffee shops I like going
from movies I like going out shopping
there was this one time when I went out
clubbing with my friends but I was
denied access I was denied entry at this
club because the authorities they didn’t
want to be responsible in cases for any
accident or mishap that that would take
place inside so I tried to negotiate
with the authorities that night however
all my efforts went in vain and I had to
go back home a few of my friends went
inside the club and party too and I had
to go back home that night so after that
incident I was produced I was shocked I
was taken aback because it happened for
the first time to me and after that I
was a bit I’ve always been a bit
reluctant you know to to go to clubs
especially because I don’t want to put
myself through that kind of humiliation
again this is not just the story of
Manish or Shweta so yes it happens a lot
of time here and like accessibility is
not an issue but you get into this kind
of a problem that what people are going
to ask you and you’re going to go to
that event or any function so I placed
it in my path that I have to go to a
function I was not able to go out with
good go to that function because I
thought that like people are going to
ask you there – how this thing has
happened with you why like it it gives
you a little bit of the charr of in
double-teaming so really don’t look
forward to it
hi I’m Lila Kalani I use a wheelchair
due to polio I live in a city of dreams
Mumbai which has people everywhere every
inch sometimes I do get tired of so much
of chaos around me I do feel like going
to Seaside some coffee shop and be
myself look at the waves and feel calm
I’m sure most of you can do that just on
an impulse go and have your mean time
the space to yourself can I really do
that do you really think so on my
wheelchair go at a coffee shop by the
seaside think about it more often than
not this is the life of every person
with a disability
so you’ve seen Manish the story you’ve
seen Shweta story you’ve seen Nino story
and you’ve seen her own story this life
I’ve shown you for four but there are a
hundred million people out there in
India they don’t get to go into their
shopping malls when the sale is on they
don’t get to go into restaurants to try
out different cuisine they don’t get to
go into a movie theater towards their
favorite film they don’t even get to get
a simple cup of coffee
so where do they go nowhere they are
confined by themselves in their homes or
their offices not for a day not for a
week not for a month
not for a year this goes on for years
decades and sometimes a lifetime the
only companion that they have in this
case is someone at home a parent their
sibling or in a lot of cases take
caretaker
can you imagine what this kind of
isolation from life at large leads to
depression lack of self motivation lack
of self esteem suicidal tendencies
mental illness why do you think it has
come to this point we have a hundred
million people in this country with
disabilities why do you think it has
come so far honestly I don’t know but
what I do know is why it does not change
it does not change because we don’t see
the problem how many times have you
walked into a mall to see somebody who’s
blind shopping
you see people blindly shopping but you
how many times you see a blind shopping
how many times have you gone into a
restaurant and seen somebody on a
wheelchair I say this again a hundred
million people with disabilities that’s
one in ten people where do you think
they are we started social spaces with
the aim of bringing people out of their
homes out of their shells to go and meet
different people to socialize to to
build networks to build friendships to
find a date and maybe even find a life
partner what started in gorga last year
with five people today attracts 80 to
100 people every single time in every
single city that we have a meet-up we
have necessary ramps wheelchair
accessible spaces accessible washrooms
and sign language interpreters people
have traveled over 700 kilometers to
attend a three hour meetup purely
because it gives them a sense of of
operation from this isolation this this
freedom to walk into a room where nobody
is judging you nobody’s treating you
differently and everybody’s making you
feel normal
gives them a real sense of confidence to
live a dignified life our meetups are
inclusive which means we have people
with and without disabilities who attend
these meetups and we make it really fun
we do these at beaches at cafes at
public parks at bars at restaurants at
hotels and we have things like stand-up
comedy like dance performances like
karaoke is like storytelling and so on
held India’s first ever inclusive
nightlife meetup in Delhi
earlier this year at the lolly hotel and
this is how it looked like
[Music]
lucky night LeMay instead of a capybara
Bunge the Amanar dream come true I could
all get watery music must be or dance
[Music]
[Music]
it is different and it is the first time
oh no way I haven’t done so much bye
guys
like buildings finding work I’ve known
Sam for a long time now and what they
achieved
[Music]
one of us
not been allowed to love before
in order to do something for it’s not
just him but people like children
medium or the trivia mm
I know just accessible or the fact that
the social stigma around it and we only
want to change this James became Ben
[Music]
like going out for people with
disabilities and really socializing and
feeling equal feeling like they can go
out to a nightclub and find the one that
they either date or marry
and drink and dance I enjoy time to time
zero solace video typo or win a Louis M
is down
[Music]
[Applause]
one year and 30 meetups later we bring
together India’s the largest number of
people with disabilities with 30,000
people in India something very
interesting happened a few weeks ago I
was browsing through my Facebook
newsfeed and I happened to see this
these are pictures of Manish who was
independently hanging out with his
friends at a very popular bar in Delhi
friends who he first met at social
spaces this brought so much joy to me to
think that this is the same Manish who
when I met for the first time was
reluctant and shy to even speak to
somebody or tell his name to someone if
a small company like in club can bring
about such a big change in so many lives
just imagine a small shift in mindset of
the 1.3 billion people in this country
what the word it has potential to do you
may have helped the blind cross the road
but how many times have you stopped to
ask them hey how are you how how’s it
going my name is Shankar Srinivasan
co-founder of in cloth the world’s first
matchmaking app focusing on people with
disabilities and health disorders thank
you
[Applause]
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