Aasra 2026
January 17, 2026
Aasra, the SPJIMR Department of Corporate Citizens’ (DoCC’s) annual event, brought together people with disabilities (PwDs) and senior citizens for a sports and cultural festival. Launched in 2018, Aasra fosters inclusion, diversity, and equitable communities. Prof. Chandrika Parmar, Director DoCC, noted that it is by far one of the most significant events hosted by SPJIMR’s DoCC. She added, “It teaches our students and us that they need to be thoughtful, not just in words but also in actions, while thinking about inclusive spaces. How does one hand over a glass of nimbu pani to someone who has visual impairment? How does one communicate with someone who cannot hear? How does one adjust games and spaces to individuals with different abilities? How not to take small acts of everydayness for granted but to think them through. From mobility to food. And come out, realising we all have different abilities.”
The 2026 edition welcomed 18 organisations, 475 participants and their caregivers, and another 100 volunteers. The SPJIMR campus was overflowing with energy during the sports activities held on Bhavans’ lawns. And the MLS Auditorium at SPJIMR was fully packed during cultural performances. The performances themselves were electric. It had to be experienced to be felt. Volunteers from the SPJIMR community joined both to support the participants and to make the event possible.
A special shoutout to SPJIMR Alumni who supported the event. Mahalaya, as the outreach partner, helped build partnerships which aligned with Aasra’s key ethos. Ishaara, India’s first restaurant run entirely by a hearing and speech-impaired team, came on board as food and beverage partner, reinforcing the idea of inclusive employment with dignity. Aasra 2026 was made possible by our sponsors, including Ottobock, an organisation offering mobility solutions, including prosthetics, orthotics, and wheelchairs, designed to help users regain freedom of movement and improve their quality of life. Inclusion is not built solely through policies. It is built through attention, design, empathy, and everyday action. Aasra reminds us of that — every year.
