Ronak Lakhani

Last updated
Ronak Lakhani
Occupation(s) Philanthropist
Founder and Chairperson, Special Olympics Pakistan
Years active1989 - present
Spouse Iqbal Ali Lakhani [1]

Ronak Lakhani is a Pakistani philanthropist RONAK GOHIL IS TOP G Special Olympics Pakistan. [2] Since 2016, she has been chairperson of its Board. [3] [4]

Contents

Personal life

Lakhani was born in India, where she completed her post-graduate education from Nirmala Niketan Mumbai. She lived in India for 21 years before moving to Pakistan. [5]

Community work

Lakhani has been a supporter of inclusivity for differently abled people in Pakistan. "Inclusivity is not a topic to have a conversation on, it is a practice that needs to be a part of our culture” she said. A founder of Special Olympics Pakistan (SOP), Lakhani has been associated with it for 31 years. [6] [7]

Lakhani founded SOP in 1991 [8] when she first volunteered at the City Games in Karachi. [9] The event was organized for the mentally and physically disabled. The event set inspiration for the SOP. [10] [11] Special Olympics is now the world’s largest sports organization for athletes with intellectual disabilities and provides year round training to them in nearly 172 countries. [12]

Lakhani was on the board of directors in 2003 [13] [14] and then became the General Secretary of SOP in April 2007. [15] In August 2015 she was elected as a chairperson. Her term as a chairperson for Special Olympics Pakistan officially started on 2016. [16] She is now also on the advisory committee of SOP. [17]

Lakhani has also served as a Head of Delegation in numerous World Games. She is also a board member of multiple organization that are related to health and sports. [16]

She is also the founding Executive Committee members of NOWPDP. [18] The organization helps promote an inclusive society through sustainable undertakings in the areas of education and economic empowerment.

SOP has regularly been competing in World Games since 1991. The organization now has over 16,104 athletes registered in Pakistan. [19] [20] [21]

Lakhani is also Vice President of the Karachi Women's Swimming Association. [5] [22]

Awards

To honor her services and dedication for the differently abled people in Pakistan; the government of Pakistan awarded Lakhani with Sitara-e-Imtiaz award; [23] the fourth highest award given to any civilian for extraordinary achievements on March 23, 2016. [24] [25]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mushtaq Ahmad Yusufi</span> Urdu humorist

Mushtaq Ahmad Yusufi was a Pakistani Urdu satirist and humourist. Yousufi also served as the head of several national and international governmental and financial institutions. He received the Sitara-i-Imtiaz Award in 1999 and the Hilal-i-Imtiaz Award in 2002, the highest literary honour given by the Government of Pakistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shehzad Roy</span> Musical artist

Shehzad Roy is a Pakistani singer-songwriter, guitarist, activist, social worker, producer and humanitarian. He started his singing career in 1995 and has recorded six albums since. He has recorded many hit songs such as "Saali," "Teri Soorat" and "Kangna," but is most famous for his 2008 socio-political album Qismat Apney Haath Mein. Roy is also the president and founder of Zindagi Trust, a non-government charitable organisation, that strives to improve the quality of education available to the average Pakistani.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iftikhar Arif</span> Urdu poet

Iftikhar Hussain Arif, is an Urdu poet, scholar and littérateur from Pakistan. His style is romantic Urdu poetry. He has headed the Pakistan Academy of Letters and the National Language Authority. He has received the Hilal-e-Imtiaz, Sitara-e-Imtiaz and Presidential Pride of Performance awards, the highest literary awards given by the Government of Pakistan.

Hassan Sardar is a former field hockey player and team captain from Pakistan, who won the gold medal with the Men's National Hockey Team at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catholic Church in Pakistan</span>

The Catholic Church in Pakistan is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the pope in Rome.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sitara-i-Imtiaz</span> Third-highest civilian award of Pakistan

The Sitara-e-Imtiaz also spelled as Sitara-i-Imtiaz, is the third-highest honour and civilian award in the State of Pakistan. It recognizes individuals who have made an "especially meritorious contribution to the security or national interests of Pakistan, world peace, cultural or other significant public endeavours".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amjad Islam Amjad</span> Pakistani poet and lyricist (1944–2023)

Amjad Islam Amjad, PP, Sitara-e-Imtiaz was a Pakistani Urdu poet, screenwriter, playwright and lyricist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nirmala Deshpande</span>

Nirmala Deshpande was a noted Indian social activist who had embraced Gandhi and philosophy. She devoted her adult life to the promotion of communal harmony and service to women, tribal people, and the dispossessed in India.

Islahuddin is a field hockey player from Pakistan. He was born in Meerut, India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waheed Murad filmography</span> List of films of Waheed Murrad

Waheed Murad was a Pakistani film actor, producer and script writer, famous for his charming expressions, attractive personality, tender voice and unusual talent for acting. Waheed is considered as one of the most famous and influential actors of South Asia. He is often referred to as "Chocolaty Hero" or "Chocolate Hero". Born in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan, did graduation from S.M. Arts College Karachi, and then masters in English literature from University of Karachi. He started his film career as cameo in 1959 in the film Saathi when he was 21 years old. His naughty facial gestures, bold romanticism and alluring performance style during picturisation of songs made him immensely popular.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dar-ul-Sukun</span>

Dar-ul-Sukun (Urdu: دارالسکون) (House of Peace) in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan is a home for physically and mentally disabled children and adults, both men and women in poverty or unable to address their challenges. It has three branches across Karachi. The branch at Kashmir Road cares for almost 150 people. The home has 53 staff members.

Aadil Salahuddin is Pakistan's foremost stamp designer with over 2000 stamp designs to his name. Of these, 400 have been printed including nearly 50 for other countries of the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rais Khan</span> Pakistani musician (1939-2017)

Ustad Rais Khan was a Pakistani sitarist. At his peak he was regarded as one of the greatest sitar players of all time. He continued performing till his last days. He moved from India to Pakistan in 1986, where he took up Pakistani citizenship.

Hanif Khan is a Pakistani field hockey player. He was born in Karachi. He won a Gold medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, and a Bronze medal at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal.He won Gold Medal in 1978 and 1982 World Cups in Buenos Aires and Mumbai respectively.

Family Educational Services Foundation (FESF) is a non-profit, educational organization based Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. It is working in Pakistan since 1984. FESF provides educational services, with particular focus on Deaf children and youth. FESF is registered as a non-profit organization with the SECP and is tax exempt.

Special Olympics Pakistan is an official recognized program of Special Olympics International which operates in Pakistan as not-for-profit organization and works with intellectually disabled individuals and help them through participation in sports.

The civil decorations of Pakistan were established on March 19, 1957, following the proclamation of Pakistan as an independent republic on March 23, 1956. The announcement of civil awards is generally made once a year on Independence Day, August 14, and their investiture takes place on the following Pakistan Day, March 23. According to Article 259 of the Constitution of Pakistan 1973, along with the Decorations Act, 1975, the President of Pakistan confers civil awards on Pakistani citizens in recognition of gallantry. Awards for Pride of Performance are conferred for outstanding achievements in the fields of art, literature, science, sports and nursing.

Anita Ghulam Ali was an educational expert in Sindh, Pakistan. She was a recipient of Pride of Performance Awards (1999) and Sitara-e-Imtiaz.

Ruth Lewis was a Roman Catholic nun of the religious congregation for women, the Franciscan Missionaries of Christ the King, living and working in Karachi, Pakistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Khawar Mumtaz</span>

Khawar Mumtaz is a Pakistani women's rights activist, feminist author and university professor. She is the Former Chairperson of the National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW) who served for three consecutive terms from 2013 to 2019.

References

  1. ↑ Kupferman, Steve (June 1, 2016). "One of Pakistan's wealthiest couples is selling their Four Seasons condo".
  2. ↑ "Special Olympics Pakistan National Games | sportanddev.org". www.sportanddev.org. Retrieved 2020-11-21.
  3. ↑ "Special athletes need govt support to excel: Ronak". The Nation. 2019-09-10. Retrieved 2020-11-13.
  4. ↑ adm4defclarea. "Ronak Lakhani Chairperson SOP | JASARAT AWARD CEREMONY FOR DISABLE PERSON" . Retrieved 2020-11-21.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  5. 1 2 "MSS". mariestopespk.org. Retrieved 2020-11-13.
  6. ↑ "Ronak Lakhani shares her vision of an inclusive society". The Express Tribune. 2017-09-15. Retrieved 2020-11-13.
  7. ↑ dnb. "Special olympics Pakistan".
  8. ↑ "Award for excellence: Ronak Lakhani honoured with Sitara-e-Imtiaz". The Express Tribune. 2015-08-14. Retrieved 2020-11-13.
  9. ↑ "I want every young girl of Pakistan to have the confidence to look and feel beautiful from the inside: Masarrat Misbah | HUM TV - Watch Dramas Online". 2018-03-08. Retrieved 2020-11-21.
  10. ↑ "Pride of Pakistan : Ronak Lakhani". Daily Times. 2015-08-28. Retrieved 2020-11-13.
  11. ↑ "Chairperson, Special Olympics Pakistan, Ronak Lakhani, awarded Sitar-e-Imtiaz on Pakistan Day". KarachiChronicle. Retrieved 2020-11-21.
  12. ↑ "Your inability cannot see my ability, punch-line of the fashion showcase by Nauman Arfeen at Fashion Pakistan Week – Spring Summer Edition 2018. – Korea News Digest" . Retrieved 2020-11-21.
  13. ↑ "Ronak Lakhani - Director at Special Olympics". THE ORG. Retrieved 2020-11-13.
  14. ↑ "One of Pakistan's wealthiest couples is selling their Four Seasons condo". Toronto Life. 2016-06-01. Retrieved 2020-11-13.
  15. ↑ "Ronak Lakhani's Pond's Miracle Women". Karachista | Pakistani Fashion & Lifestyle Mag. 2017-01-30. Retrieved 2020-11-21.
  16. 1 2 "Ronak Lakhani". SpecialOlympics.org. Retrieved 2020-11-13.
  17. ↑ Team, Editorial (2020-11-05). "Special Olympics sets the stage for higher sporting roles for Special Athletes". Higher Education Digest. Retrieved 2020-11-21.
  18. ↑ "Ronak Lakhani, Vice President NOWPDP, awarded Sitara-e-Imtiaz | NOWPDP" . Retrieved 2020-11-13.
  19. ↑ SOP fact sheet. "SOP" (PDF).
  20. ↑ "Pakistan squad off to Shanghai: Special Olympics". DAWN.COM. 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2020-11-21.
  21. ↑ Constantinou, Maria. "Etihad Airways Sponsors Special Olympics Pakistan team". traveltradeweekly.travel. Retrieved 2020-11-21.
  22. ↑ "Palmolive Sindh Women's Swimming Championship concludes – Business Recorder". fp.brecorder.com. Retrieved 2020-11-21.
  23. ↑ "Ronak Lakhani takes home the 'Sitara-e-Imtiaz'". HIP. 2016-03-25. Retrieved 2020-11-21.
  24. ↑ "President confers military, civil awards on Pakistan Day". The Express Tribune. 2016-03-23. Retrieved 2020-11-13.
  25. ↑ admin. "Ronak Lakhani awarded Sitar-e-Imtiaz". IBC ENGLISH | latest News. Retrieved 2020-11-13.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.