On October 12, 2025, at the International Purple Fest 2025 in Goa, our Programmes Lead, Srinidhi Raghavan, spoke at the Purple Convention: “Insights from the Ambassadors.” The International Purple Fest is the largest and first-of-its-kind global festival celebrating persons with disabilities. The Fest was organised by the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Government of India; Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Government of Goa; and the Office of the State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities, Government of Goa.
Srinidhi was invited to the panel as a Purple Ambassador, sharing her perspective as a person living with psychosocial disabilities and chronic illnesses. The session was organised by Project Eyeway and was attended by around/over 25 participants.
The panel was moderated by George Abraham, CEO, Score Foundation, and featured fellow Purple Ambassadors Swarnalatha J, Founder, Swarga Foundation, and Pranav Bakshi, model.
Srinidhi spoke candidly about living with an invisible disability, her journey of acceptance, and the reality of navigating friendships and relationships while managing psychosocial disability and an invisible disability. She reflected on the pressure to power through social events, often at the cost of her health, and how this significantly reduced social opportunities. She highlighted how medication side effects, fluctuating energy levels, temperature regulation issues, and the need for masking due to a compromised immune system can make socialising difficult or impossible. Srinidhi emphasised the importance of recognising and valuing relationships rooted in care, understanding, and accommodation, and spoke to forming communities with other people with disabilities who share similar lived realities.
