The Nai Subah Foundation is my social start-up, founded in 2020. Through this, we hope to change lives, banish the darkness and usher in a new morning – a ‘Nai Subah’.
Our Foundation aims to create opportunities for the marginalized, helping them unlock their potential. We focus on facilitating partnerships to develop employment and income generation opportunities for the neurodiverse, especially those impacted by autism spectrum disorders (ASD), as well as other neurological or developmental conditions such as ADHD and learning disabilities.
According to a study conducted by UnearthInsight India in July 2021, India has almost 30 million Persons with Disabilities (PwDs), out of which 13 million represent demographically employable PwD talent. Yet only 3.4 million PwDs are employed.
The numbers are worse when we talk about the neurodiverse. Diversity & Inclusion may be topical issues, but there is little progress in India in terms of employment for the neurodiverse. Through my work, I am trying to ensure that the corporate sector and society at large, recognizes the talent and value residing in the neurodiverse, a huge step forward in the Indian context.
As a next gen changemaker, who aspires to create a more inclusive community, recognition provides me the inspiration to enhance the transformative journey. In June 2023, I won the internationally acclaimed Diana Award for my work with the neurodiverse. I am the Pramerica Emerging Visionaries National Winner, having represented India in April 2023 in New Jersey, USA at the global Emerging Visionaries summit. I was felicitated as a BRICS CCI Emerging Woman Leader in March 2023 and Nai Subah Foundation won a Special Jury award at the 9th National CSR Awards in December 2022. I also won the 2021 Youth Leader title for Project Nishant (initiative of Nai Subah Foundation), in the national competition run by the Global Education & Leadership Foundation (tGELF).
