An encounter with the reality

It was the 11^th September 2019. The reason why this day is so special and dear to my heart is because it brought a turmoil not in the way I live but in the way I think, I perceive and observe things.

Hurriedly completed my daily chores to go for a field visit. A place where one should visit at least once in his lifetime. A place which changes the perspective of thinking of mankind. Pursuing School Psychology and being a student of Jnana Prabodini changed the way to observe people and places.

Offering gratitude to our friend Mr Nagesh Chavan who introduced us to the place. Bal Kalyan Sanstha, Aundh , Pune. ‘Kalyan’ means ‘welfare’. Welfare of the differently abled.

The huge outer premises gave an idea that we have landed in a world where definitely I would explore something massive and I did. The entrance room was again mesmerizing. Each corner caught our attention.

The tall frame right at the centre wall let me draw closer to read that this organization has won ‘National Award for the Empowerment of Persons with disabilities, physically and mentally.’

 Just below that was hung another certificate which caught the attention of every person of the group. “Limca book of World Records’ awarded to 3 boys with disability who swam non-stop for 13hours and 7 min in the swimming pool. What kept lingering in our minds was that these 3 children were Autistic! A feeling of  awe, praise and reverence which made a turbulence within our minds.

The shelves besides were overflowing and flooded with medals, trophies and certificates won with pride by these children in various fields be it sports, atheletics, art, dance, singing or playing musical instruments.  For participating and winning laurels at various state, national and international levels.

Besides on the other wall were beautiful  paintings which heeded our curiosity. Every stroke and every colour had a story to narrate. Every artwork derived us to think deeply. Images depict much more than what a tale could narrate. Let me illustrate a few of them.

We usually draw human faces with smiles and ears(definitely). These faces had delightful smiles. However, the child forgot to draw ears. Yellow bubbled centre with dark grey background kept poking their emotions. That painting had won the 1st prize, crafted by young creative hands whom God forgot to give ears.

Another painting that created a deep impact had beautiful, colourful, mesmerizing flowers with darker, grayish stems and even darker roots depicting emotions. Portraying emotions of a person whom God forgot to give the freedom to speak what we enjoy every minute and every second.

We got the opportunity to attend a rhythmic prayer session solely organized and managed by the kids. Every child playing the musical instrument , be it tabla, synthesizer, harmonium, guitar, violin, flutes, drum or sitar was completely engrossed in the rhythm that stunned every visitor and guest there.

Normal humans are highly conscious of every activity that they do. These children do it with such an ease, with immense fine tuning and synchronization that left us startled.

Further we also took a glimpse of various classrooms where activities like playing musical instruments, gymnastics, dance and floor exercises take place. The well equipped computer lab proved that the children here have a noticeable confrontation with the digital world.

Every enclosed room opened up with hundreds of success stories. It ascertained their achievements and envisaged that the special population too can flourish in their lives with a little guidance.

The most interesting and catchy place was the sensory garden. It  was very well thought and designed keeping in mind the requirements of these children. At the entrance were patches of tiles. Every patch of tile was made of different material to help the kids differentiate between various stones. A unique way to make them understand the types of material in nature. The path had series of tiles made up of rubber, mat, marble, pashan black, chira grey, ply, gote, reti valu, brick, koba and so on. The corners had animals and birds made of stone resembling the natural habitat. The outer walls had boards with sign languages for children, Braille and some other symbols for children with different abilities. To recognize flowers only with their fragrance was a unique method. I learnt a lot from the sensory garden.

Though we didn’t wish to leave, however left the place with a heavy heart and a commitment to ourselves about our contribution to the people working and dedicated to this organization . A salute to all those who have dedicated their crucial time in upbringing  these innocent beings to compete the harsh world outside.

Lingering thoughts questioned about the number of such organizations in our country. The extraordinary hardwork and efforts pit in by the teachers and trainees to change the lives of the differently abled.