https://en.bharatpedia.org/w/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=Sandhya_DharSandhya Dhar - Revision history2026-10-20T22:14:09ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.43.6https://en.bharatpedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sandhya_Dhar&diff=532525&oldid=prevSilentbram: Created basic article initial version.2026-02-03T03:05:14Z<p>Created basic article initial version.</p>
<p><b>New page</b></p><div>{{Short description|Indian disability rights activist}}<br />
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2022}}<br />
[[File:Sandhya Dhar on the eve of Women's Day.jpg|right|thumb|Dhar after winning the Nari Shakti Puraskar in 2022]]<br />
'''Sandhya Dhar''' (born 1980) is an Indian [[disability rights]] activist. She was diagnosed with [[cerebral palsy]] at an early age and is a [[wheelchair user]]. She founded the Jammu Institute of General Education and Rehabilitation (JIGER) in 2015 to support disabled people and was awarded the 2020 [[Nari Shakti Puraskar]].<br />
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==Career==<br />
Sandhya Dhar was born in early 1980 in [[Srinagar]], the [[summer capital]] of erstwhile [[Indian state]] of [[Jammu and Kashmir (state)|Jammu and Kashmir]] into a [[Kashmiri Pandit]] family. At a few months old she had a fever which led to paralysis and she was diagnosed to have [[cerebral palsy]].<ref name="TNN">{{cite news |last1=Jamwal |first1=Akriti |title=Wheeling forth for the cause |url=https://www.thenewsnow.co.in/newsdet.aspx?q=95558 |access-date=12 May 2022 |work=The News Now |date=12 April 2019}}</ref> Her parents prioritised her care and she was sent to the [[Deendayal Upadhyaya Institute for the Physically Handicapped]] in [[New Delhi]] for two years. At five, she went to the local school and then her family moved to [[Jammu]], where the care facilities were better. She attended the Adarsh Shiksha Niketan school and then the M. Dass school.<ref name="TNN" /> She continued her education at the Government Degree College Parade Ground Jammu, studying for a [[Bachelor of Commerce]], [[Master of Commerce]], a [[Diploma in Computer Science]] and [[Master of Business Administration]] (MBA). She then worked in the finance department of the [[Government of Jammu and Kashmir]].<ref name="TNN" /> Dhar plays [[boccia]] and in 2022, she won a bronze medal at the Boccia National Championship.<ref name="Boccia">{{cite news |title=Sandhya remains 3rd in Boccia Championship |url=https://thenewsnetworklive.com/sandhya-remains-3rd-in-boccia-championship/ |access-date=13 May 2022 |work=TNN Live |date=22 March 2022 |archive-date=31 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220531053721/https://thenewsnetworklive.com/sandhya-remains-3rd-in-boccia-championship/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><br />
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Dhar is a [[wheelchair user]].<ref name="KM">{{cite news |last1=Khan |first1=M. Aamir |title='Unsung heroes': Meet J&K women who received 'Nari Shakti' award from President – The Kashmir Monitor |url=https://www.thekashmirmonitor.net/unsung-heroes-meet-jk-women-who-received-nari-shakti-award-from-president/ |access-date=12 May 2022 |work=The Kashmir Monitor |date=10 March 2022}}</ref> She became a [[disability rights]] activist and founded the Jammu Institute of General Education and Rehabilitation (JIGER) in 2015. It supports disabled people and offers lessons taught by disabled teachers.<ref name="Tatsat">{{cite news |last1=Kainthola |first1=Deepanshu |title=President Presents Nari Shakti Puraskar for the Years 2020, 2021 |url=https://tatsatchronicle.com/president-presents-nari-shakti-puraskar-for-the-years-2020-2021/ |access-date=12 May 2022 |work=Tatsat Chronicle Magazine |date=8 March 2022 |language=en}}</ref> In 2022, it supported over 400 disabled children.<ref name="CC">{{cite news |title=Sandhya Dhar wheeling the change for disabled |url=https://consciouscarma.com/expert-corner/authored-articles/sandhya-dhar-wheeling-the-change-for-disabled/ |access-date=12 May 2022 |work=Conscious Carma |date=8 April 2022 }}{{Dead link|date=August 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><br />
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In 2022, she received the 2020 [[Nari Shakti Puraskar]] from President [[Ram Nath Kovind]].<ref name="Tatsat" /> [[Manoj Sinha]], the [[Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir]], said in 2022 that Dhar, alongside [[Nasira Akhter]] and [[Nasheeman Ashraf]], was an inspiration for women in the region.<ref name="KNS">{{cite news |title="Awaam Ki Awaaz" completes one year |url=https://www.knskashmir.com/%E2%80%9Cawaam-ki-awaaz%E2%80%9D-completes-one-year-124614 |access-date=12 May 2022 |work=Kashmir News Service |date=20 March 2022}}</ref><br />
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==Selected works==<br />
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* {{cite book |last1=Dhar |first1=Sandhya |title=Political consciousness in Jammu region, 1904–1977 |date=2015 |location=New Delhi, India |isbn=978-93-5128-104-7}}<br />
* {{cite book |last1=Dhar |first1=Sandhya |title=Political awakening in Jammu region: Papers presented in seminars, conferences |date=2019 |location=Delhi |isbn=978-93-5324-029-5}}<br />
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==References==<br />
{{Reflist}}<br />
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{{Nari Shakti Puraskar}}<br />
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{{Authority control}}<br />
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Dhar, Sandhya}}<br />
[[Category:1980 births]]<br />
[[Category:Indian disability rights activists]]<br />
[[Category:Indian disabled sportspeople]]<br />
[[Category:Kashmiri people]]<br />
[[Category:Kashmiri Pandits]]<br />
[[Category:People from Srinagar]]<br />
[[Category:People from Jammu (city)]]<br />
[[Category:Nari Shakti Puraskar winners]]<br />
[[Category:Boccia players]]<br />
[[Category:Living people]]<br />
[[Category:Indian activists with disabilities]]</div>Silentbram