Media Coverage

Spotlight Workshop Champions Inclusive and Intersectional Disability Reporting in Indian Media: Allycaral

Screenshot of the Allycaral website. Headline reads - "Spotlight Workshop Champions Inclusive and Intersectional Disability Reporting in Indian Media." Text below reads - "On September 22, 2025, the media sensitisation workshop Spotlight was held in New Delhi to focus on inclusive and intersectional disability reporting in India. Organised by Rising Flame in collaboration with the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Government of India), the Office of the State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities, Goa, the UN in India, and UN Women, the event brought together over 50 journalists, editors, and media professionals to discuss the crucial role the media plays in shaping public perception around disability."

Media Workshop Highlights Inclusive Reporting Ahead of International Purple Fest, Goa: Goemkarponn

Screenshot from Goemkarponn E-paper. Headline reads - "Media Workshop Highlights Inclusive Reporting Ahead of International Purple Fest, Goa" By Team Goemkarponn. Text reads - "PANAJI: A media sensitisation workshop on inclusive and intersectional reporting on disability was held on Monday as a pre-event to the International Purple Fest 2025, Goa, bringing together 50 journalists, editors, and communication professionals. Organised by Rising Flame in collaboration with the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Government of India), the Office of the State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities, Goa, UN in India, and UN Women, the workshop focused on improving disability representation in newsrooms and public narratives. Speaking at the event, Shri Subhash Phal Dessai, Minister for Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Social Welfare, Drinking Water, River and Navigation, said, “The International Purple Fest is more than an event – it’s a movement to bring visibility, dignity, and pride to the lives of persons with disabilities. We urge the media to join this global movement and embrace diversity and inclusion.” Shri Taha Haaziq, Secretary, Office of the State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities, highlighted the four-day festival’s activities, including Purple Think Tank, Purple Conventions, and Purple Experience Zones, emphasizing the importance of creativity, talent, and fun for persons with disabilities."

Media Sensitisation Workshop on disability-inclusive reporting ahead of International Purple Fest 25: Times Today

Screenshot of Times Today. Headline reads - "Media Sensitisation Workshop on disability-inclusive reporting ahead of International Purpole Fest 25". Photo from the event of Nidhi Goyal, Shombi Sharp, Taha Haaziq, Subhash Phal Desai and Richa Shanker. Below, text that reads - "New Delhi | September 22, 2025 — Rising Flame, in collaboration with the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Government of India), the Office of the State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities, Goa, the UN in India, and UN Women, organised Spotlight, a media sensitisation workshop on inclusive and intersectional disability reporting. Held on Monday at the We the Peoples Hall, United Nations House, New Delhi, the workshop brought together over 50 journalists, editors, and media professionals to examine how disability is represented in Indian newsrooms and narratives."

The media portrays people with disabilities as either heroes or objects of pity; we need to move beyond this: Jagran

Screenshot of the Jagran website showing an article about the Spotlight Media Workshop by Mala Dixit. Text in Hindi reads - "The media portrays people with disabilities as either heroes or objects of pity; we need to move beyond this." Subheading - "A workshop on disability-inclusive reporting urged the media to move beyond portraying people with disabilities as heroes or objects of pity. Nidhi Goyal of Rising Flame emphasised the importance of media sensitisation in amplifying the voices of people with disabilities. The workshop was organized by the United Nations and other organizations."

Review: ‘And They Lived... Ever After’ Celebrates Disabled Lives | Feminism in India

Stories of Disabilities with India’s First Female Disabled Stand-Up Comedian Ft. Nidhi Ashok Goyal

Ep 27: Disability activist Nidhi Goyal: Reclaiming fairytales (made with Spreaker) on Swishing Mindsets

Hindustan Times lists And They Lived... Ever After on their books for the week

On a white background, there are images of 3 books titled "The Dilemma of an Indian Liberal, And They Lived...Ever After, Mahmud and Ayaz". Under this, is the text “This week's pick of interesting reads includes a book on the dilemma facing the Indian liberal, another that retells fairy tales to include diverse bodies and minds, and a novel that recreates the love story of Mahmud of Ghazni and his Turkish slave Ayaz and sets it in contemporary India. (HT Team)”

Hindustan Times Coverage of Nidhi Goyal's performance at SVP Delhi event

On the top center is the text: "HT City my city". On the top left the number "06" is written while on the top right, the following text is written "New Delhi Sunday March 10, 2024". the page contains an array of pictures along with text. the heading on the top right says "ONE FOR THE SOCIETY: AN EVENING OF INSPIRING TALES". Underneath a smaller heading says "Prerna, a fundraiser, by SVP Delhi saw motivated souls come together to make a contribution for the Good Samaritans around us". The text body contains the following "It's one thing to have an NGO, and another to be able to make sustained efforts to make sure it thrives and helps its target group. Guiding those who are committed to supporting and empowering NGOs that make a positive impact on society, is SocialVenture Partners (SVP)India. This philanthropic organisation’s Delhi-NCR chapter organised a fundraiser, Prerna by SVP, in Gurugram, in partnership with HT City, recently. Around 200 donors, including corporate social responsibility organisations, foundations and UHNIs came together for this event that featured disability rights and environment as its themes. Guest speaker for the evening, actor Sonu Soodheld the audience in thrall with how he took up social work, during the pandemic, with bare minimum resources. “When the pandemic happened, a lot of us realised life is not just about box-office numbers but changing lives and bringing a smile on the face of others,” said Sood, as he went on to motivate the audience with incidents show he proved right the saying that where there is a will, there is away! The evening was a roaring success as it raised close to ₹2 crore from individual and corporate donors for the featured causes. These included Umoya Sports—which works with children with disabilities, Waste Warriors —an environmental organisation andScore Foundation —an organization that champions the rights of people with visual impairment. The momentous occasion also provided the perfect platform for the launch of the app, Prerna by SVP, which aims to connect interested donors to NGOs that are pre-vetted and supported by SVP. “The intent of the app is to bring strong, relatively young and credible NGOs to India’s growing community of philanthropists, who also want to be engaged in the causes they support, either directly or through someone they know,” shares Harjeet Kohli, chairperson, SVPDelhi, adding, “Events come, and events die. But platforms don’t. Prerna by SVP is one such platform. Henna Rakheja” On the right is a photograph of a man standing. He is wearing a blue coat and brown pants and is speaking on the mic. In a yellow text box near his feet is the following text: "Delighted to be here with SVP Delhi... My inspiration has always been to help as many as we can. And for that, whatever needs to be done, we must try and do" Below is the name of the speaker- Sonu Sood, actor, philanthropist. On the top right is a blue text box with the text: "Events come, and events die. But platforms don’t. Prerna by SVP is one such platform. HARJEET KOHLI, Chairperson, SVP Delhi". On the right side and the center of the panel is a collage of 6 photographs. Starting from the top, this is the following description of the images: 2 men standing, both wearing suits and glasses. One of them is speaking on the mic. text in between them reads: "Govind Iyer, national chairperson, SVPIndia". 2nd image is of 2 men standing next to a flight of stairs. One of them is wearing a blindfold and the other one is speaking on a mic. the text underneath them says: "Aditya KV, founder of Umoya Sports gives a demo of football training for the visually impaired, with help from a blindfolded Sonu Sood". 3rd image is of 3 women standing, 2the one on the left is wearing a pink saree and holding a mic, the one in the center is wearing a black suit and holding a bouquet of flowers, and the one on the right is wearing a black sari and speaking on the mic. The text underneath the picture says: "Shilpa Kohli (lead partner, SVPDelhi), Nidhi Ashok Goyal (founder, Rising Flames) and Shalini Mittal (lead partner, SVPDelhi)". The 4th image is of a man holding a mic. He is wearing a white shirt. His other hand is raised. The text next to him says: "Vishal Kumar, CEO, Waste Warriors". The 5th image is of a man sitting in a chair. He is wearing a suit and speaking on the mic. The text next to the image says: “George Abraham, founder, Score Foundation”. The 6th image is of a crowd sitting on white chairs. 3 people are sitting in the front row. The crowd is wearing formal clothing. On the top right of the panel, the text says: “Photos: HTBS/Manoj Verma”

International Conference on Disability, Equity and Justice: Rajasthan Patrika - Delhi Edition

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Lekhi highlights relevance of inclusive traditions of country: The Statesman

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India’s G20 Presidency: Civil 20 discussions held on workplace inclusion for persons with disabilities: The Print India

Screensshot of article 'India’s G20 Presidency: Civil 20 discussions held on workplace inclusion for persons with disabilities'

Individuals With Disabilities Are Mainstreamed Through The G20 Process: Hans India

Screenshot of article 'Individuals With Disabilities Are Mainstreamed Through The G20 Process'

Using G20 Presidency India Should Secure Global Commitment To Create Just World For The Disabled: Indiatimes

Screenshot of article 'Using G20 Presidency India Should Secure Global Commitment To Create Just World For The Disabled'

International Conference: छह सालों में विश्व के 100 शहरों को दिव्यांगों के लिए समावेशी व योग्य बनाया जाए : निधि अशोक गोयल (Patrika)

Screenshot of article 'International Conference: छह सालों में विश्व के 100 शहरों को दिव्यांगों के लिए समावेशी व योग्य बनाया जाए : निधि अशोक गोयल'

Civil20 working group meet brings into focus impact of climate crisis on disabled: Economic Times

Screenshot of article 'Civil20 working group meet brings into focus impact of climate crisis on disabled'

G20 process gets separate group to mainstream persons with disabilities

Screenshot of a newspaper with the text: G20 process gets separate group to mainstream persons with disabilities TNN | Apr 25, 2023, 02.09 PM IST NEW DELHI: A move that is expected to give a boost to deliberations on issues related to disabilities, 'Civil20’, an official engagement group within the G20 process, has set up a stand-alone 'Disability, Equity, Justice' (DEJ) working group to address concerns towards mainstreaming persons with disabilities. This step under India’s presidency is the first ever in the G20 processes. The Civil20 website highlights that the DEJ working group will promote disability equity and disability inclusion within the G20 leaders’ commitments. “Our emphasis is to bring forward the voices of persons with disabilities, 1.3 billion people or 16% of the global population—the majority of whom live in G20 countries. The population of people living with disabilities, moreover, is rising, due to wars, conflicts, disasters, and ageing,” it states. The DEJ Working Group aims to bring together experiences and expertise of disabled and non-disabled civil society to advance a practical vision of economic development that is accessible, just, sustainable and inclusive. The working group says it is imperative for the G20 countries to tackle barriers rooted in stigma and systemic inaccessibility. “Research shows that lack of meaningful participation and inclusion among persons with disabilities costs countries up to 7% of their GDP. Women with disabilities and others facing multiple forms of discrimination are at greater risk of violence and exclusion that undermines their meaningful participation in economic, social, and political arenas,” it says.

Purple Fest 2025: Media Workshop Calls for Inclusive Disability Narratives: Devdiscourse

Screenshot of Devdiscourse website. Headline reads - "Purple Fest 2025: Media Workshop Calls for Inclusive Disability Narratives." Subheading reads - The workshop brought together journalists, editors, disability rights advocates, and media professionals to collectively reimagine how disability is represented in public discourse." Text reads - "n the run-up to the International Purple Fest 2025, India’s largest celebration of disability to be held in Goa from 9–12 October 2025, a high-impact media sensitization workshop on inclusive and intersectional disability reporting was hosted on 22 September 2025 at We the Peoples Hall, United Nations House, New Delhi. The event was jointly organised by the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Government of India), the Office of the State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities, Goa, the United Nations in India, UN Women, and Rising Flame."

Disability inclusion must be at heart of social, economic development: UN official: Hindustan Times

Hindustan Times website screenshot. Headline reads - Disability inclusion must be at heart of social, economic development: UN official" by PTI. Subheading reads - "Disability inclusion must be at heart of social, economic development: UN official" There is an image that says 'India News' on it. First paragraph reads: New Delhi, Disability inclusion must be at the heart of social and economic development, United Nations Resident Coordinator in India, Shombi Sharp, said on Monday, stressing the role of media, legislation, and partnerships in transforming lives.

Workshop Urges Media to Move Beyond Stereotypes in Disability: Press Information Bureau India

Screenshot from Press Information Bureau website. Text reads: Workshop Urges Media to Move Beyond Stereotypes in Disability Ahead of International Purple Fest 2025 Posted On: 24 SEP 2025 4:29PM by PIB Delhi. The Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Government of India), the Office of the State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities, Goa, the United Nations in India, and UN Women with Rising Flame, hosted a high-impact media sensitization workshop on inclusive and intersectional disability reporting on 22 September 2025 at “We the Peoples Hall, United Nations House, New Delhi”. Organised in the run-up to the International Purple Fest 2025, India’s largest celebration of disability to be held in Goa from 9–12 October 2025, the workshop brought together journalists, editors, and media professionals to collectively reimaging how disability is represented in public discourse.

Retelling one fairy tale at a time I Review of 'And They Lived... Ever After' by Rising Flame

Screenshot of an article which has The Hindu letterhead on top. Below it is the text: Retelling one fairy tale at a time I Review of 'And They Lived... Ever After' by Rising Flame This anthology uses fantasy and magical realism to tell different stories of people with disabilities April 26, 2024 09:15 am | Updated 09:15 am IST NANDINI BHATIA I READ LATER PRINT

HTSmart cast: Refreshing retellings of traditional tales

Deccan Herald picks And They Lived... Ever After for their book list

In bold black text it says: "Deccan Herald, Bengaluru 24th March 2024". Underneath is the name of the section on an orange background with an image of an open book: "Bookrack". Underneath is the following text alongside the cover of the book: “And They Lived Ever After. Rising Flame (Editor) HarperCollins, 241 pages, INR 399. This book grew out of a programme organised by Rising Flame, an award-winning non-profit that seeks to build an inclusive world in which diverse bodies, minds and voices thrive with dignity.”

Nidhi Goyal on NDTV's Women's Day Special: Defying Stereotypes And Inspiring Inclusion

Screenshot of an NDTV YouTube video where Nidhi Goyal is seen dressed in a Kurta walking in a corridor. The video is titled: Women's Day Special: Defying Stereotypes And Inspiring Inclusion.

International Conference on 'Disability, Equity and Justice' had in-person participation from 9 countries: Dainik Bhaskar

Photo of an article cut-out from Dainik Bhaskar

Relationships to Health & Rehabilitation: Inclusive Society A Distant Dream for Women with Disability | CNN-News18

Screenshot of article: 'Relationships to Health & Rehabilitation: Inclusive Society A Distant Dream for Women with Disability'

Prakash Kamat's weekly column in Lokmat: Goa Edition

Weekly column on issues of disability in Marathi daily Lokmat today on Sunday May 14,2023 speaks about recent C20-Civil Society meeting in Panaji under G-20 initiatives,to deliberate on Employment/economic empowerment of PswD with equity & justice

Policy consultation on 'Disability and Employment' held in Goa: Times of India

Screenshot of article 'Policy consultation on 'Disability and Employment' held in Goa'

विकलांगता, समानता और न्याय पर अंतर्राष्ट्रीय सम्मेलन: Univarta

Screenshot of Hindi article विकलांगता, समानता और न्याय पर अंतर्राष्ट्रीय सम्मेलन

Civil20 working group meet brings into focus impact of climate crisis on disabled: Times of India

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Civil20 Working Group Organises International Conference of Disability, Equity, Justice: BusinessWorld People

Screenshot of article 'Civil20 Working Group Organises International Conference of Disability, Equity, Justice'

Delhi: Civil20 empowers disability advocacy with conference: NewsBytes

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Rising Flame provides support for vaccine registration: India TV

What happened to women with disabilities during the lockdown? | Featured in Hindustan Times podcast Gender Question: Part 1 | Part 2

Dhamini Ratnam of The Gender Question a wonderful podcast by Hindustan Times spoke about the report, naming “Gender, Disability and COVID - Part 2 - Gender Question” and “What happened to women with disabilities during the lockdown?”

Women With Disabilities Have Been Excluded In Government Policy During The Covid Pandemic | Featured in BehanBox

BehanBox published an article on the report under the name “Women With Disabilities Have Been Excluded In Government Policy During The Covid Pandemic”. It is written by Vasudha Varadarajan on July 27, 2020.

Neglected and Forgotten: Women with Disabilities During the COVID Crisis in India | Featured in Mad in Asia Pacific

Mad in Asia has published an article on the report named, “Neglected & Forgotten: Women With Disabilities During COVID-19 in India ” it is written by The Editorial Team on 18th July 2020.

Rising Flame wins National Award for Best Accessible Website | BBC Hindi Coverage

Why Deny the Disabled Population Digital Access? | Srinidhi Raghavan | The Quint

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The Quint- Lead. Grow. Change.

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Pandemic has worsened woes of disabled women, says study | Featured in Times of India

Times of India published an article on the report called “Pandemic has worsened woes of disabled women, says study” written by Ambika Pandit on July 27, 2020 .

Neglected & Forgotten: Women With Disabilities During COVID-19 | Featured in The Quint

The Quint has published an article on the report named, “Neglected & Forgotten: Women With Disabilities During COVID-19” it is written by Saakhi Chadha on 16 Jul 2020.

Pandemic increases vulnerabilities of India’s disabled women, says Rising Flame-Sightsavers report | Featured in NewzHook

Newz Hook published an article called “Pandemic increases vulnerabilities of India’s disabled women, says Rising Flame-Sightsavers report” in regard to the report.

In This Together- Vella Panthi is featured in the Mid Day!

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Rising Flame wins National Award for Best Accessible Website | DD National Television Telecast

NewzHook- Lead. Grow. Change | Rising Flame

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DNA - Leadership programme for differently abled women launched

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NewzHook- Rising Flame launches leadership programme for women with disabilities

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