The India Inclusion Summit (IIS) to me is light, tiny little flickering lights coming together and getting connected into patterns – so open ended, so beautiful…

Only in the depth of darkness, one can marvel the glory of light, even if it is just a small sparkle. IIS comes as a constellation, weaving the bright little stars (people) to come together as a unique and beautiful ornament against the darkness of an uneven world.
One can either see and celebrate the stars, those million points of light or get depressed by the overarching and unending darkness of the sky in the background. While most of us perceive the latter by relating our own misery to the dark sky and believing that life is all darkness, the founders of IIS perceived the stars, their enigmatic beauty and set out to show the world that there is another way of looking at the night sky!

The insight, ‘what we see largely depends on how we perceive’, hit me hard during the first IIS, when I listened to so many star speakers talk about their disability. Far from being an obstacle, their disability has turned into a positive influence and helped them to strive for success and excellence beyond the wildest imagination of a normal ordinary mortal like me. I utterly became a dwarf amongst the IIS speakers and guests at the event. It was a great occasion to genuinely evaluate my self-worth and seek inspiration.

IIS has succeeded in bringing the stars of real life to the forefront and closer to our lives, through the live event and the videos of talks by the most wonderful line of speakers. Many unsung heroes have received a platform to broadcast their capabilities and talent. It reinforces the fact that everyone is good at something. And for the larger audience, it opens up a new window into the night sky. After attending IIS, I am slowly learning to recognize the sparks of light amidst the challenges of life and in my own way, trying to weave up the constellations of hope, courage and determination.

Nachiket is an artist working in corporate sector and contributing his voluntary hours for inclusion/education related topics