"HSBC Indo- British Award" to Mr. Akhil Paul, Director, Sense International (India)

The "4th HSBC Indo- British Award" was instituted in 1997, to commemorate India's 50 years of Independence. The Award is to be given alternately in India to an Indian individual, company, or NGO who have furthered Indo - British relations.

This year, in addition to considering those who have contributed to the improvement of Indo-British trade and business relations, HSBC widened its scope to also recognise outstanding contributions in the community. Mr. Akhil Paul, Director of Sense International (India) has been awarded the "4th HSBC Indo- British Award" in the Community Category for his exemplary contribution to the field of deafblindness and thus furthering Indo- British relations.

The selection Committee consisted of Sir Rob Young, British High Commissioner to India, Anil Dharkar, social commentator and journalist and Niall S. K. Booker, CEO, HSBC India.

Sense International (India) is an organisation that was set up in 1997 to support the development of education of deafblind children throughout the country. Deafblindness is a unique disability - a combination of visual and hearing impairments. Though the degree of deafness or blindness varies, the combination of dual sensory loss gives persons unique problems with their communication, mobility and their ability to access information. It is estimated that there are more than 450,000 deafblind people in India. This is a significant group of our society who are receiving virtually no educational stimulation at all. Most of these children live in total isolation and many others are wrongly diagnosed. This is largely because there is little awareness of this disability and there is a severe shortage of specialist teachers in India.

With the encouraging support of national and International donors, Sense International (India) has succeeded in sensitising local partner organisations throughout the country to develop over 25 rural and urban programmes for deafblind people in 13 states of India.

The Event:
The "4th HSBC Indo-British Award" was bestowed on Mr. Akhil Paul by Sir Rob Young, British High Commissioner at Hotel Maurya Sheraton, New Delhi on 8th October'2003.

This event has conveyed the message of deafblindness and Sense International (India) and emphasise the importance of support for this much-needed development in India.

Click for HSBC Indo-British Award Acceptance Speech of Akhil

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