Amritsar entrepreneur Dawinder Singh wins National Disability Award

Ludhiana, December 1, 2018: Amritsar Entrepreneur and investor, Dawinder Singh, Proprietor of Sehdev Jewellers, based in Amritsar has won the prestigious 19th NCPEDP-Mindtree Helen Keller Award.

These awards were started as an initiative to recognise and celebrate the good work done by corporates and individuals towards promoting employment opportunities for people with disabilities in India.

The 19th edition of NCPEDP Mindtree Helen Keller Awards will be held on the 2nd of December, on the eve of World Disability Day, to commemorate those who have made an impeccable contribution in actively promoting employment for persons with disability.

Dawinder who has won the prestigious award in the role model disabled persons category became wheelchair-bound at the age of 23 due to a spinal cord injury. However, this adversity only made his resolve to fight the odds stronger.

Utilising his keen interest in gems and jewellery and information technology sector, Dawinder, started three successful ventures in a short span of time. In 1999, he started Sehdev Jewellers- a retail store that supplies precious gemstones. Over the next few years, he started WebTecz.com- a tech arm that provides technology consultation to clients free of charge and 9Gem.com- an e-retail platform that sells jewellery online. Dawinder also invested in a company -iBerry Wireless- that provides internet at high speed.

Speaking about Dawinder’s work, Arman Ali, Executive Director of NCPEDP says, “When Dawinder started Sehdev Jewellers, it was difficult for his employees to report to someone who is a wheelchair user. The marketing managers tried to usurp his business models and plans. But through Dawinder’s determination and focus, he has expanded Sehdev Jewellers across Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, and Delhi. Dawinder has been invited by the Belgian authorities in Antwerp to open his jewellery office. Dawinder is a role model entrepreneur. He has a large vision of good for all."

While talking about his struggles and success, Dawinder shares that the bias towards people with disabilities still looms large. “I had been able to overcome challenges and biases to a certain extent, but many others with special needs may not be able to and hence economic empowerment of disabled people is vital.”

Dawinder’s experience post injury convinced him to help others who go through similar experiences. Therefore, he started the Spinal Cord Injury Association which identifies people with spinal cord injuries, provides them wheelchairs and counselling support.

Other key Helen Keller Awardees this year include- Trent Hypermarket Pvt Ltd (a Tata & Tesco Enterprise); Dr. Reddy’s Foundation; BS Nagesh- Founder, Trust for Retailers & Retail Associates of India (Mumbai); Tiffany Brar, Director, Jyothirgamaya (Trivandrum); Moses Chowdari Gorrepati, Enable India (Bengaluru); Naveen Ravindranath, Executive, DellEMC (Bengaluru); Aradhana Lal, Vice President, Lemon Trees (New Delhi); Yajurvendra Anil Mahajan, Founder- Deepstambh Foundation (Jalgaon); Squaremealsfood (Mumbai); The Leprosy Mission Trust India, (New Delhi) and Worth Trust, (Vellore).

Awards this year have been spread across the country- Five out of this years’ Twelve awardees are from South: Two from Bengaluru, one each from Hyderabad, Vellore, and Trivandrum. Three awards have gone to Mumbai, two to Delhi and one each to Jalgaon and Amritsar.