A bit of cajoling is all it takes for 11-year-old Rishabh to show off his dance moves, inspired by megastar Chiranjeevi. On seeing Rishabh in full form, his friend Tarun stands up and mimics Balakrishna’s mannerisms. Their friends sitting nearby laugh out loud and in a moment, the classroom is filled with warmth and the unbridled laughter of children.
The normal happy setting of a classroom, however, immediately transforms the moment one looks closely. All the children in the classroom have special needs. But that does not take away their spirit. “My name is Abhishekh and I am a resident of Addagutta. My teacher’s name is Shanti and I remember all important telephone numbers,” 15-year-old Abhishekh declares proudly, reeling out phone numbers.
Abhishekh was just four when he joined Sri Vidhyas Centre for Special Children in Addagutta. “He was unable to do anything on his own. Today, he can lead an independent life, can read and definitely does not have to depend on others,” says Shanti Venkat, the founder.
The centre is home to 150 intellectually disabled children, whose parents work as daily wagers and live in and around Addagutta. Almost all the children come from broken homes, with either of the parents deceased or one of the parents, mostly fathers, having taken flight, leaving the mother to fend for the child.
Almost all the children here are toilet trained, a no mean task to achieve. “It is the right of every child to play, have self respect and develop abilities to the full extent. They should be able to take care of themselves if they are left alone at home,” says Shanti Venkat. With that in mind, the housewife and a trained special educator started the special centre in 1999.
“Initially, getting acceptance from the neighbourhood was difficult. We had to shift to six different locations in Addagutta because of opposition from neighbours. We have rehabilitated 10 children, who are now earning independently. The idea is to make the intellectually disabled self-sufficient,” she says.
Quite remarkably, the centre so far has survived on voluntary donations through word of mouth publicity. “Parents of these children come from a very poor background and it’s not fair to ask them for anything. There is a lot of support these days as companies and individuals come forward to donate generously. We are trying our best to move out and have our own centre,” she says.
Sri Vidhyas Centre can be reached at: 2773-4515/www.srividhyaschool.com.
