The ‘Sargasheshi’ showroom near YWCA on Kannur Road in Kozhikode is a symbol of endurance in the face of hardships.
The handicraft products featured here are mostly the result of months-long effort put in by 15 individuals with Down Syndrome and their parents. Mayor Beena Philip opened the store on International Down Syndrome Day on Sunday.
Sargasheshi is a joint venture of Down Syndrome Trust (DoST), a Kozhikode-based NGO providing support to individuals affected by Down Syndrome and ULCCS Foundation, the social responsibility wing of Uralungal Labour Contract Co-operative Society (ULCCS). It is supported by the Sargaalaya Arts and Crafts Village at Iringal, where 15 teams were trained in various crafts.
A salient feature of the store is that it is managed by three women affected by Down Syndrome. They have been trained at the UL Care-Nayanar Sadanam-Institute of Vocational Training and Placement for Adults with Intellectual Challenges.
Sargasheshi also featured products made by differently abled people and a few other artisans from Sargaalaya and the Kerala Arts and Crafts Village at Vellar, Thiruvananthapuram.
Later, Calicut University Vice Chancellor M.K. Jayaraj honoured the actors of the movie Thirike based on the life of individuals with Down Syndrome.
ULCCS Foundation director M.K. Jayaraj said, “Sargasheshi is the first of its kind in the country giving girls with Down Syndrome a big responsibility.” DoST founder and chairman Shaji Thomas John and DoST support group president T.J. Nasser Babu were present.
World Down Syndrome Day is observed on March 21. The 21st day of the third month of the year was selected to signify the triplication (trisomy) of the 21st chromosome which causes Down Syndrome.
