The Hindu : National : A dream come true for these children

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, May 07, 2006

National

National

A dream come true for these children

Shujaat Bukhari

Special children from Jabalpur visit Kashmir

FLOW OF TALENT: Special children from Jabalpur at a painting competition organised in Srinagar. — Photo: Nissar Ahmad

SRINAGAR: It was a dream come true for 25 spastic children from the Justice Tankhaw Memorial Rotary Institute for Spastic and Handicapped Children, Jabalpur. For, they got an opportunity to enjoy Kashmir's enchanting beauty, thanks to an initiative by the Rotary Clubs of Jabalpur and Kashmir.

The special children began their journey with an interaction with President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam in New Delhi on May 1. Mr. Kalam, according to Vivek Tankhaw, founder of the Institute, was very happy to know that the children were to visit Kashmir.

No chance missed

"As the Doda massacre took place the same day, we got scared but our colleagues here assured us that everything was normal," he said. Since Tuesday, the children have not missed even a single opportunity to enjoy the sights of Kashmir, from Gulmarg to Pahalgam.

"I like the environment here very much. You have lots of water here, and we have a crisis in Madhya Pradesh," Roshni, a student of class IX, said in sign language, which was interpreted by her teacher, Koyali. Rakesh Pagwar, a student of class V, said, "My poor parents would have never been able to send me to this jannat [paradise]."

Most students turned emotional during a visit to the SOS Home, where they interacted with children who had lost one or both parents. "We are lucky as we live with our parents, but these children have to be in an orphanage," said Lali Gupta.

The special children also took part in a painting competition, in which nearly 100 normal children were also present. Akash Badail, a special child, bagged the second prize."They had a good time here," said Baldip Singh Maini, programme coordinator of Rotary Club of Jabalpur. The children also participated in a cultural programme on Saturday. Kashmir Divisional Commissioner Basharat Ahmed and the Chairman, Advisory Board, YES Bank, M.Y. Khan, were the special guests.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail