Mrs. Samira Bector – President
Samira, the Founding President of Ek Prayaas has many feathers on her cap. As the daughter of a Retd, Director General of Artillery in the Indian Army, she has always wanted to work for the welfare of the society and uplifting the many lives that make our society a motley of unique and wonderful people. Her positive approach, willingness to listen to the needs of others has made her effective in addressing the Special Needs Child. She firmly believes that equal opportunities should be given to each child and has steadfastly worked towards creating consciousness in society about the same. Samira’s journey started as a volunteer in Nirdosh in 1996, along with Ashok Arora, Maninder Kaur, Manjeet Singh Chhabra and Sunanda Goyal. This clique of determined and sensitive people set out to create awareness about the Special Needs Child. Ek Prayaas is the fruition of that noble thought. Ek Prayaas was registered as a society under the name of ‘Social Action Group’ in May 1998 and immediately started operations in a 2 room space. Over a period of time, Ek Prayaas moved to a 4 room space and eventually went on to become a school in 2011. Samira is a BA in Mathematics and Economics from Punjab University and is also a Director at Cremica Frozen Foods Ltd. Her business acumen, decisive, quick responsive and solution-oriented nature has proved pivotal in guiding and taking Ek Prayaas to new heights. She is the heart and lifeline of Ek Prayaas and wishes to see every Special Needs Child in a content and happy space in our society. Along with the above accomplishments and initiatives, Samira loves to meditate whenever she can find the time.
Samira, the Founding President of Ek Prayaas has many feathers on her cap. As the daughter of a Retd, Director General of Artillery in the Indian Army, she has always wanted to work for the welfare of the society and uplifting the many lives that make our society a motley of unique and wonderful people. Her positive approach, willingness to listen to the needs of others has made her effective in addressing the Special Needs Child. She firmly believes that equal opportunities should be given to each child and has steadfastly worked towards creating consciousness in society about the same. Samira’s journey started as a volunteer in Nirdosh in 1996, along with Ashok Arora, Maninder Kaur, Manjeet Singh Chhabra and Sunanda Goyal. This clique of determined and sensitive people set out to create awareness about the Special Needs Child. Ek Prayaas is the fruition of that noble thought. Ek Prayaas was registered as a society under the name of ‘Social Action Group’ in May 1998 and immediately started operations in a 2 room space. Over a period of time, Ek Prayaas moved to a 4 room space and eventually went on to become a school in 2011. Samira is a BA in Mathematics and Economics from Punjab University and is also a Director at Cremica Frozen Foods Ltd. Her business acumen, decisive, quick responsive and solution-oriented nature has proved pivotal in guiding and taking Ek Prayaas to new heights. She is the heart and lifeline of Ek Prayaas and wishes to see every Special Needs Child in a content and happy space in our society. Along with the above accomplishments and initiatives, Samira loves to meditate whenever she can find the time.
Mr. Ashok Arora – Vice President
Ashok is a renowned businessman of Ludhiana and an active social worker in Punjab. He is the President of the State Olympics Bharat, Punjab and Patron of District Special Olympics, Ludhiana. He has created awareness about the Special Needs Child by organizing state, district and international level games for such children. ‘Umang’, a state-level program for Special Needs Child was his brain child. He has organised multiple training programs for coaches and teachers and is always curious about learning and implementing new techniques to help such children. Often called the Godfather of special children, Ashok is an extremely gentle, amiable, dexterous and kind person. His contribution and devotion to the concept of Ek Prayaas have proved beneficial to the Special Needs Child.
Mrs. Maninder Kaur Chhabra – Secretary
One of the Founding Members of Ek Prayaas, and certified with the Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI) Maninder has over four decades of experience in handling the children with special needs. Currently, she is serving as the Hony. General Secretary of the Society. Being a parent to a child with special needs, she has a supercharged, exceptional, and unending compassion for children with disabilities. She has been actively contributing to inspiring minds, shaping young lives and supporting special children’s physical, emotional and mental well-being. Her observant and responsive approach has enabled her to excel at behavior management skills, with the ability to manage confrontation and challenging behavior. With her positive, flexible and enthusiastic outlook, she has been able to respond and adapt to the personalized needs of these children.
Prof. Manjit Singh Chhabra – Treasurer
A seasoned educator with over four decades of experience in the field of education, Prof Manjit started his career in 1978 with GGN Khalsa College, Ludhiana as a professor and later took over as the Principal of GGN Khalsa College Ludhiana. Presently, he is the Director of two premium educational Institutes of Ludhiana City- GGN Institute of Management &Technology and GGN Institute of Vocational Studies. He is one of the Founding Members of Ek Prayaas and has been working in the capacity of a Treasurer since 1998. He is also the Founding Member of Lala Sunder Das Kapoor Charitable Trust, Hoshiarpur and has been working for the welfare of deaf & dumbs. He is a Strategic Thinker, an eloquent speaker, Trainer and has been invited to speak at various prominent educational conferences in India and abroad. He is competent at evaluating teaching methodologies and creating high-quality educational standards that develop the potential in every student. He is the recipient of numerous awards and honors. He excels at providing innovative advice and solutions to meet educator and student needs.
Mrs. Sunanda Goyal - Joint Secretary
Sunanda Goyal is one of the most active volunteers of Ek Prayaas. A homemaker, she was introduced to children with special needs by Samira Bector. Like so many in society, she was also scared in approaching the children, but once Sunanda interacted with the children, learned about their predicament and understood that they are not different from the rest of us, she was at ease and in fact determined to show love, affection and act towards providing a bright future for them. Sunanda is a creative and extremely talented personality. She brought colour and art and eventually took art classes for teachers at Ek Prayaas. A soft-spoken person with a heart of gold, her efforts in increasing awareness about the Special Needs Child are invaluable.
Sunanda Goyal is one of the most active volunteers of Ek Prayaas. A homemaker, she was introduced to children with special needs by Samira Bector. Like so many in society, she was also scared in approaching the children, but once Sunanda interacted with the children, learned about their predicament and understood that they are not different from the rest of us, she was at ease and in fact determined to show love, affection and act towards providing a bright future for them. Sunanda is a creative and extremely talented personality. She brought colour and art and eventually took art classes for teachers at Ek Prayaas. A soft-spoken person with a heart of gold, her efforts in increasing awareness about the Special Needs Child are invaluable.
Mr. Ajay Bector - Managing Director Cremica
In 1979, Ajay Bector and his mother Rajni Bector weaved a success story out of their passion for cooking and baking. Cremica started with Ice Cream and then eventually went on to making bread, bakery products, sauces and biscuits. Ajay is a Managing Director of Cremica Frozen Foods Ltd and Mrs. Bector's Cremica Enterprises Ltd. As a Member on the Board of Ek Prayaas, Ajay has provided indispensable support to the group in terms of infrastructure and carrying forward the message of Ek Prayaas. In his spare time, Ajay can be found in the kitchen creating an appetizing concoction for his family.
In 1979, Ajay Bector and his mother Rajni Bector weaved a success story out of their passion for cooking and baking. Cremica started with Ice Cream and then eventually went on to making bread, bakery products, sauces and biscuits. Ajay is a Managing Director of Cremica Frozen Foods Ltd and Mrs. Bector's Cremica Enterprises Ltd. As a Member on the Board of Ek Prayaas, Ajay has provided indispensable support to the group in terms of infrastructure and carrying forward the message of Ek Prayaas. In his spare time, Ajay can be found in the kitchen creating an appetizing concoction for his family.
Dr. Jatinder S. Goraya
Dr. Goraya is a Consultant Paediatric Neurologist at Dayanand Medical College (DMC) Hospital, Ludhiana. He received his training in Child Neurology from USA and returned to India in 2009 to serve his country. He is interested in understanding children with neurological ailments especially those with cerebral palsy, autism, mental retardation, genetic disorders and epilepsy. He journey with Ek Prayaas started in 2010 and since then he has been an active participant in moving the message of Ek Prayaas forward.
Mrs. Asha Arora
Mrs Arora, is the wife of Mr Ashok Arora and a mother of a Special Needs Child. Along with being a homemaker, she is actively involved in helping the needy and disadvantaged of society. A pillar of strength to Mr Arora, she has been a voice of reason in seeking aid for children with neurological disorders.