Purple Fair: RKM school fest promotes power within oneself tossing down barriers
Telegraph | 5 December 2025
A day-long festival, celebrated the talent and skills of people with disabilities and upheld their dignity and empowerment, at Ramakrishna Mission Blind Boys’ Academy, Narendrapur, on Wednesday.
On the occasion of International Day for Persons with Disabilities on Wednesday, the National Academy for Direct Taxes, regional campus, Kolkata, in collaboration with Ramakrishna Mission Blind Boys’ Academy, Narendrapur, organised a Purple Fair.
A Purple Fair usually refers to a series of events organised to celebrate the talent, resilience, and inclusion of people with disabilities, said an organiser.
The theme of the fair was — All Power is Within You. It was held to promote “awareness, break social barriers and offer a dignified platform” where children and individuals with disabilities can showcase their talents, creativity and achievements.
“A person with disability doesn’t seek sympathy but needs opportunity. For example, for a person with visual impairment, the ability to complete work assigned to them is high, but often society doesn’t recognise it and denies them access or opportunity,” said Brahmachari Asimachaitanya, principal, Ramakrishna Mission Blind Boys’ Academy, Narendrapur.
“Each individual has immense potential within themselves, and that has to be explored and nurtured...,” he said.
The more an individual can distance themselves from being “self-centred” and develop a fellow feeling for others, the more inclusion will become a possibility, said Brahmachari Asimachaitanya.
Those advocating for disability rights demand inclusion, which remains a far cry on many occasions.
When inclusion becomes a reality, access and opportunity will automatically follow and not be demanded or prayed for, those working in the disability sector said.
Societies grow stronger when they embrace diversity and uphold the rights of all individuals.
Individuals with visual impairment participated in cultural performances, exhibitions, workshops and competitive sports like swimming, chess, cricket, football, and judo.
Many institutions working in the areas of Down syndrome, intellectual disability, hearing impairment, and autism joined the fair.
At another event in the city on Wednesday, organised by an NGO, Nabajatak Child Development Centre, in association with ANVolife Foundation, SkilledIQ Educational Trust and the Rotary Club of Calcutta Benevolence, discussions were held on making inclusion a reality.
One panel discussed inclusive healthcare, where specialists in neonatology, optometry and fetal medicine deliberated on the growing need for an integrated system of care. At the event held at a city hotel, the organisers handed over wheelchairs to support mobility.