Nearly 80 students with special needs and 30 staff members of the Spastics Society of Tiruchi ushered in the spirit of Christmas on Wednesday with a cultural programme that showcased their talents in dance, theatre and fancy dress.
The programme saw the participation of teams from four suburban centres of the school (in Musiri, Thuraiyur, Manapparai and Lalgudi) besides that of the Tiruchi campus. It was held in the auditorium of the Ramalinga Nagar-based school premises, and attracted a large audience.
“This is only time of the year when children can display their talents in the performing arts; so we created programmes in which they can participate wholeheartedly,” C. Santhakumar, director, Spastics Society of Tiruchi, said.
Among the performances presented were the ‘Butterfly Dance’ and ‘Little Drummer Boy’ group items by children of the Early Intervention Centre (morning and afternoon sessions) and a skit on the importance of maternal compassion through the Biblical tale of ‘The Judgement of King Solomon’ by Musiri centre students.
This was followed by a dance by students of the Lalgudi centre. The pupils of the Thuraiyur centre put up a play on ‘The Honest King’.
Manapparai centre students presented a topical tableau on the prevention of child sexual abuse with a commentary on do’s and don’ts for the public. The Tiruchi centre staged the fairytale ‘Sleeping Beauty’ through a Tamil song. Every item had between 15-20 participants with special needs.
The evening rounded off with the Nativity scene and a visit from Santa Claus bearing gifts for the children.
Dr. John M. Viswanathan of Manapparai Government Hospital was the chief guest. G. Christopher, director, CEF, delivered his Christmas message with a puppet show.
“Our children have been preparing for nearly a month now,” said Mr. Santhakumar. “Participants from the other centres arrived in Tiruchi a week before, so that we could sort out all the rehearsals.
It has been a day of great excitement and pride for both students and parents,” he said.
