The year 2018 was fraught with challenges for the founder of the Uddip Social Welfare Society. Poonam suffered a brain haemorrhage and had to go under the knife and a medically induced coma for months. It took her months to recover from the surgery. The circumstances compelled the society to postpone Samaanta, planned for Feb. After Poonam's complete recovery, the society brought back the long-awaited event in 2019.
Instead of a marathon, the organisers introduced a fresh outlook to the event by organising an all-inclusive fashion show. The settings were planned according to the requirements of children with disabilities. Creating an inclusivity moment for the first time in India, the fashion show for people with disabilities has set a bar for every player in the fashion industry. We rarely get to see the designers and fashion enterprises develop a range of clothing specifically designed for people living with a disability. The show raised a curtain of stereotypes and presumptions regarding the inclusion of disabled people in the fashion industry.
