“Home has not been the same after my father’s death last year. But Kuttikoottam gives me absolute fun, a temporary respite from my sorrows,” says Abhirami. It is for the second time that 14-year-old Abhirami is participating in Kuttikoottam, a three-day summer camp organised by the Pallium India trust that began on Thursday.
Be it tithing in Christianity or ‘sakhaat’ in Islam, compassion knows no bounds. And this forms the guiding principle of the trust which, for 12 years, has been providing relief and palliative care to those with terminal illness.
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The third season of Kuttikoottam offers children of patients an opportunity to laugh, sing and learn, away from the trauma of everyday life. There will be motivational talks, planetarium visits, magic shows, art, music, film screenings, and counselling in the next two days. Children from classes 8 to 10, whose educational needs are supported by Pallium India, are the participants. The participants are divided into houses and each house is guided by a mentor. Enabling the children to face challenges and to live life with an undying spirit remains the challenge.
Shanti, a retired teacher and a first time volunteer at Kuttikoottam, thoroughly enjoys the company of these children. “Seventy-two students have registered. If required we stay overnight with the children,” she says.
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Shankar’s wife, who had cancer, died last year. “Since then Pallium India has been supporting the educational needs of my daughter,” he says. Kuttikoottam also has the support of student and youth volunteers. Vishnu Ram, an automobile engineer, says “Camps like this give you the satisfaction of working for a greater social good.”
Playback singer G. Venugopal inaugurated the camp. He sang a couple of Malayalam melodies.