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By:

Prithvi Asthana

20 August 2025 at 5:20:30 pm

From Wheels to Wings

After a life-changing accident, Priya Sharma turned pain into purpose through sport and dance, building a nationwide community for women with disabilities. Para athletes inspire the world with their performances, but few know their backstories. Even less attention is paid to the thousands of others with disabilities who continue to struggle every day. Priya Sharma, a para-athlete from Chhindwara in Madhya Pradesh, is trying to change that — not just for herself, but for many girls across...

From Wheels to Wings

After a life-changing accident, Priya Sharma turned pain into purpose through sport and dance, building a nationwide community for women with disabilities. Para athletes inspire the world with their performances, but few know their backstories. Even less attention is paid to the thousands of others with disabilities who continue to struggle every day. Priya Sharma, a para-athlete from Chhindwara in Madhya Pradesh, is trying to change that — not just for herself, but for many girls across India. Through  Dance with Wheels  (DWW), she has created a platform where people with disabilities can dance, turning struggle into strength and inspiration. Setback to Strength Priya Sharma, once a trainer under the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojna, saw her life change after a road accident in 2018. While returning from a 10-day training camp in Indore, the car she was travelling in met with an accident that permanently injured her spinal cord. Her lower body was paralysed, and unable to cope with her disability, Priya slipped into depression. During the Covid-19 period, when TikTok was still legal, she spent hours watching videos of wheelchair users dancing with their upper bodies — and found inspiration. The turning point came when Priya heard Paralympic medallist Deepa Malik’s story on the TV show  Kaun Banega Crorepati . She realised that if Deepa could achieve so much despite similar challenges, she could too. Slowly, she returned to sport and connected with disabled women dancers on TikTok. A sportsperson since school, she resolved to become a para-athlete and win a medal for India. In 2023, she won the state championship in javelin throw and was selected for the national meet in Pune, where she finished in the top 10. In 2025, she won gold in javelin and silver in shot put at the 15th MP State Para Athletics meet. After 2023, Priya began thinking about other women like her—with disabilities, struggling mentally and unsure where to turn. That led to the birth of  Dance with Wheels . What began as a small virtual group of two or three people has now expanded across 16 states, bringing people with disabilities together online through dance. Though Priya had no formal background in dance, she started it simply to empower women like herself. Today, it has grown into a nationwide community. Dancing Beyond Limits During 2025-26, the initiative engaged 37 women with disabilities and held 55 sessions. Its first offline event,  Astitva , took place in Jaipur on December 17, 2025, bringing together dancers from 16 states. The event aimed to bring women with disabilities out of their homes and help them feel empowered. Nine wheelchair dancers delivered a galvanising performance before an audience of over 350, proving that with the right support, people with disabilities can overcome immense challenges. Because travelling with a wheelchair is never easy, Priya Sharma also held special sessions to prepare participants. She taught them how to fold their chairs and care for their bodies during long journeys. Some travelled 20 to 22 hours to attend. All of it grew from Priya’s vision to change the lives of women like herself. Looking ahead, she said, "I want these dancers to compete for India in Paralympic Dance Sport, win gold for our country, and show the world that we are no less than anyone else.”

India patents HQ to shift from Mumbai to Delhi

Updated: Feb 14, 2025

CGPDTM

Mumbai: 10 years after then Commerce & Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s first announcement in parliament, the national headquarter of Controller General of Patents, Designs and TradeMarks (CGPDTM) in Mumbai is set to shift to New Delhi shortly, official sources said.


The new CGPDTM base will be at the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) Dwarka Building along with the top brass, decision-makers and their key aides, numbering around 30, from Mumbai.


“The shifting process is at an advanced stage. A notification to the effect is expected shortly from the Centre. Barring the headquarters, the other affiliated offices shall continue to function with limited authority from Mumbai,” a top official told 'The Perfect Voice'.


Presently, the office is headed by Prof. Unnat P. Pandit of Gujarat, who was appointed to the prestigious and powerful position through the Lateral Entry Scheme of the centre.


The official said that Mumbai was chosen over 80 years ago for the CGPDTM given its emerging financial importance, and a few years later, it got a permanent home at the IPO Building in Antop Hill, staffed by around 275 people.


“The new move could impact many of the stakeholders, but its exact short-and-long term repercussions are yet to be analyzed,” said the official guardedly.


Nevertheless, he hinted at challenges arising out of the absence of a full-fledged IP-centric ecosystem with quick access to legal-technical expertise besides logistical difficulties pertaining to filings, hearings, consultations, etc.


Interestingly, a few months ago, there was a purported move to transplant the CGPDTM headquarter to Ahmedabad, but owing to local political opposition it was shelved.


Thereafter, it was decided to shift it to New Delhi, and a letter to the effect was finally in Dec. 2024 from the Ministry of Commerce & Industry, currently headed by Mumbai North MP, Piyush Goyal.


A Mumbai businessman Santosh Deshpande, who is active in the IPR movement said the country’s commercial capital and Maharashtra stand to forfeit yet another crucial department, on the lines of many others in the past 10 years or so.


“It is surprising that Goyal, who is also a Mumbaikar, has allowed a free hand to his ministry to transfer such an important department out to New Delhi. This has unnerved various collaborators and innovators connected with the industry, academia, legal professionals, Indian and global research organisations, etc. They all contribute to shaping India’s IP framework and effective enforcement,” pointed out Deshpande.


India currently ranks among the top 10 countries globally for Patents.


“For the record, the Head Office of Trademark and Patent office Mumbai shall continue working from the city. It is only the office with the administration and finance division that will be based in Delhi.”

Piyush Goyal, Union Minister, Commerce

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